Her Dark Knight
by Heartlocket1004
Summary: When Bruce unexpectedly returned to Gotham, Detective Rebecca Dawes is as disappointed as her sister to find she doesn't even recognize her old friend. Disgusted by what she sees, the rising detective instead returns her focus to cleaning up her city. But after a chance encounter with the mysterious Batman, Rebecca's suspicions are aroused. Who is he really? Could it just be…?
1. Return

*A/N I do not own Batman, or any of its characters. I only own my own OC. Story contains spoilers for the movie.

 **Arc 1: Begins**

 _22 years ago_

"Becky! Rachel!"

A young male voice called out across the gardens as a dark-haired eight-year-old boy searched through all the flowers and shrubs leading towards the main greenhouse.

"Rachel? Becky?" The boy called as he wandered into the greenhouse.

A small giggle, hurriedly stifled, alerted the boy to the presence under one of the greenhouse worktables, and he smiled.

"Got you two." Bruce Wayne grinned as he dropped down on his hunches, coming face to face with the two little girls hidden under the table.

The equally dark-haired Rachel Dawes quickly covered her hands together, hiding her newfound treasure while her younger sister, Rebecca, tried to hold in in her little giggles again while pushing back her bright red curls.

"Now, can I see?" Bruce wheedled, but Rachel taunted playfully, "Finders keepers, and _I_ found it."

" _My_ garden." Bruce countered, and Rachel glanced at her sister.

Rebecca nodded, her blue eyes sparkling as she agreed to show Bruce, so Rachel finally opened her hands enough that Bruce could see the arrowhead Rachel had found – with Rebecca's help – in the garden.

Instantly, Bruce had reached out, grabbing the arrowhead right out of Rachel's hands as he shouted, "Finder's keepers!"

"Hey!" Rachel cried as she and her sister chased after Bruce as the young boy raced out of the greenhouse. "Bruce!"

"That's mean!" Rebecca chimed in, as the sisters ran out after Bruce.

The boy had ducked to the side, hiding quickly over an old dried well that had been covered up for safety. Rachel paused as she reached the outside of the greenhouse, uncertain where to go, but Rebecca went straight for the well.

"Bruce!" The little girl exclaimed, spotting the boy as she had expected to find him.

It was a knack of hers – being able to find people even when they didn't want to be found. It certainly made playing hide and seek with the six-year-old much more interesting than Bruce would have thought as it forced him to both hide and seek in the most interesting places around Wayne Manor.

As Rebecca came upon him now, Bruce laughed as he quickly stood up. He made to run again, but the sudden movement was too much on the old wooden boards. The planks suddenly gave way, causing Bruce to fall right through with a cry – while Rebecca screamed as she too tripped and fell into the well.

"Becky!" Rachel screamed, running over and peering into the well fearfully. "Bruce!"

She let out a small gasp as she saw her little sister lying on top of Bruce, both children groaning. Without another moment's hesitation, Rachel turned and started running back towards the Wayne Manor as she cried out to the adults for help.

"Mom! Mr. Alfred!"

Inside the well, Bruce turned to Rebecca as he groaned, getting a very strange feeling in his arm, "Becky, get off."

"S-Sorry." Rebecca whimpered as she made to crawl off of Bruce, also feeling sore though she hadn't broken any bones.

But Rebecca froze as she saw a small opening on the side of the well.

It had probably been a drainage pipe at one point, but the metal had rust and parts of the ground had eroded to make it look rather sinister – especially to a six-year-old girl.

"B-Bruce." Rebecca whispered, pointing while she continued to stare with wide blue eyes, and Bruce turned his own dark brown eyes to also see the hole.

He shivered in fear, but tried to be brave for the younger girl as he said firmly, "It's okay Becky. Nothing's down there."

At that precise moment, something jittered inside the pipe, making Rebecca grasp Bruce's uninjured arm tightly as she whimpered, "There's something there."

"N-no, it's fine." Bruce struggled, trying not to scare Rebecca or himself any more than they already were.

But at the sound of his voice, something moved in the drain again. Rebecca grasped Bruce's arm tighter, when suddenly an entire swarm of bats came flying out of the drains and around the two children.

Rebecca screamed, Bruce screaming right with her as the two children cowered in utter terror while the bats flew about around their heads, the creatures shrieking their own high-pitched screams. The sounds seemed to echo all around the frightened children, and Rebecca turned into Bruce as he huddled with her, both crying out in pure fear.

* * *

 _Present_

"Dawes!"

Rebecca straightened up instantly as Sergeant James Gordon called for her as he made his way into his office that evening. She winced, knowing from his tone he wasn't happy, and she followed him into his office, closing the door behind her as Gordon strode behind his desk.

Her direct supervisor, Gordon was also someone whom she had come to look up to in the last few years on the force as one of the only really good cop left in Gotham. It was particularly admiring, because he actually had a family to look after, too – not single like Rebecca, who only had to worry about her older sister.

And considering Rachel was as big of an advocate for justice and peace, being the assistant District Attorney, Rebecca didn't really have to worry about how her actions might affect her sister. If Rachel ever got into trouble, it would be all on herself. Not the most pleasant of thoughts, but at least Rachel also knew that if Rebecca ever got into trouble, then that would be all on Rebecca.

"Sir? Is there a problem?" Rebecca asked as she watched Gordon while he set his things down on his desk.

"Yes, there's a problem." He snapped, turning to her. "I thought I told you not to go snooping around Falcone's den."

"Yes, sir, you did." Rebecca answered at once, knowing exactly where Gordon was going to go with this and grimacing again – she'd hoped he might miss the odd detail on her report. But, Gordon was nothing if not sharp.

"Rebecca, listen to me." Gordon said sternly as he settled his hands on her shoulders and looked her square in the eye. "I know what you want to do, and trust me I wish we could get there. But if you keep doing this, you're just going to end up at the bottom of the river."

"I know, but I'm _so_ close." Rebecca argued. "I am _this_ close to finding out what Falcone's doing with all those damned drugs! And I know my sister's also itching to prosecute him for all his crimes."

"All right, so let's say you figure it out." Gordon interrupted. "The what are you going to do? We can't arrest him, because we'll never have enough evidence to back up throwing him in a prison cell, because he's paid up with all the right people – Judge Faden being one of those people."

Rebecca's jaw clenched, but Gordon pleaded, "Look, Becky, you're the best detective on the team and one of the very few I know I can trust to do the right thing. I know how badly you want to catch Falcone; because I want it too."

He squeezed her shoulders as he emphasized, "But, we'd both be better use to Gotham alive and grabbing what small fry we can and putting _them_ away safely, than dead and buried under the ground chasing Falcone."

"It'll never stop unless we get the head." Rebecca muttered, but she knew Gordon was right – of course he was.

Everyone knew Falcone had at least half of the city paid off, which made him basically impossible to touch. But that made it all the more frustrating when Rebecca wanted nothing more than to right the injustice of letting Gotham's filth run the entire city.

Sensing she was giving into his argument – not that it would matter in the long run, she'd probably try going after Falcone again soon enough, Gordon thought with a sigh - Gordon waved her out as he said, "Just think about what I said, all right? Now, get on home. You could use a rest."

Rebecca glanced at the clock before she sighed.

"Yeah, okay." She answered, turning to leave, and Gordon looked at her sternly as he added, "And _be careful_."

"I'll try, _sir_." Rebecca answered as walked out. "But in Gotham City? It doesn't matter how careful _I_ am to prevent a mugging."

"Still, being careful will lower your chances of being targeted." Gordon reminded. "And I didn't mean a mugging - I'd pity any bastard who tries to mug _you_."

Rebecca chuckled slightly as she walked out and gathered her things, packing up for the night.

She'd just about gotten ready to leave, maybe ten minutes later, when Gordon abruptly came racing out of his office, gun in hand.

"You lot, follow me!" He shouted, and Rebecca and two of her co-workers (the only ones still in the office this late at night) grabbed their guns without question.

The group raced up the stairs, bursting out onto the roof of their building just in time to see a man dressed in all black perched on the ledge at the edge of the roof.

"Freeze!" Gordon yelled, and Rebecca aimed her gun at the mysterious figure just as the man dashed across the roof edge.

Rebecca's jaw dropped as the man threw himself from the rooftop, landing with a crash on the metal balcony on the building on the far side of the police station. There were several more crashes as the four police officers ran to peer over the edge of their roof, just in time to see the man disappear into the shadows.

"Crazy nut." Rebecca muttered, while one of the others turned to Gordon as he demanded, "What the hell was that?"

Gordon glanced at them, his eyes landing on Rebecca as he answered, "Just some nut."

The other officers shrugged, turning to leave, while Rebecca frowned at Gordon. There was something in the look in his eyes that said he hadn't been fully forthcoming on his answer. But knowing better than to ask, Rebecca wisely kept her mouth shut as she followed Gordon and the others back into their office.

* * *

It was with a start that Rebecca woke up the next morning, her alarm beeping loudly on her bedside table.

Groaning, she quickly shut off the annoying beeps before hauling her body up and off her wonderfully soft bed. It didn't matter that she'd been on the police force for five years, getting out of bed was always the most difficult part of her day.

"Morning, sleepy." Rachel greeted with a small smile when Rebecca trudged into the kitchen for breakfast.

Now, there was someone who never had trouble getting up in the morning. It amazed Rebecca no end that Rachel could always get up so early and do full makeup without fail every morning; but then again, Rachel _was_ an assistant District Attorney while Rebecca was a detective officer. Rebecca could probably count the number of times Rachel got in later than she did on one hand – and that was for all of the past five years, too.

"Morning." Rebecca greeted as she switched on the news. "How are you?"

"Doing pretty well." Rachel sighed as she leant back with a mug of coffee in one hand. "If Crane didn't keep declaring all Falcone's men insane and moving them to Arkham."

"That's Dr. Jonathon Crane, right?" Rebecca asked with a frown as she grabbed her own coffee. "He's still at it?"

"Yeah." Rachel sighed, a frown appearing on her face. "And we can't even stop him – that's what makes me even angrier."

"I know." Rebecca said sympathetically. "I'm still trying to find leads on the Falcone case as well, but…"

She shrugged helplessly, and Rachel understood – she understood too well.

"It'll work." Rachel said determinedly, looking at her little sister. "If we're willing to stand up to it, others will join. There will be a start sometime, there has to be."

Rebecca smiled and nodded, the two sisters taking sips of their coffee as they shared their encouragements with each other.

It was at that point that Rebecca happened to glance at the television, and she stilled.

"Becky?" Rachel asked, noticing her sister's shocked expression, and she turned to look at the news as well. "What-? Oh."

Rachel sighed as she saw the news clip showing Bruce Wayne appearing at Wayne Enterprises the day before, having returned from the dead after eight years.

"So, you didn't get the memo either." Rachel noted glumly, and Rebecca turned to stare at her sister with wide blue eyes.

"Is this true?" Rebecca asked numbly. "He's back?"

"Apparently." Rachel sighed. "I found out through the news yesterday as well."

"But…" Rebecca trailed off as she glanced automatically at her cell.

"I didn't get a call either." Rachel answered quietly. "I assumed it was because he was still mad at me after how I left him that day he disappeared. But I didn't think he'd hold a grudge against you, too."

Rebecca just continued to stare at the news, unable to believe what she was seeing. He was back. He was back, after eight years of radio silence. And he hadn't even bothered to let her or Rachel know.

"Look, Becky." Rachel said softly as she watched her sister stare numbly at the screen. "I think the best thing to do is probably to just let it go. He left without a word, and now he's come back without one too. I think his message is clear."

Rebecca nodded silently, and Rachel turned away to get going for work. Rebecca lingered a little longer, staring at the image of Bruce on the news.

He didn't look too different from when she'd last seen him – buffer, yes, and older definitely. His hair was also actually sleeked back like a professional, not his usual unruly soft curls. But otherwise, his face was exactly the same as that of her best friend from eight years ago – her best friend since she was three years old.

Until he'd disappeared.

Now, he was back… and somehow, it hurt knowing he'd come back without caring to let her – or Rachel - know. More even than it had hurt when he'd simply left eight years ago without so much as a word to let them know where he had gone.

' _Why, Bruce?_ ' She asked the screen silently. ' _Why did you push me away?_ '

*A/N This is another story that I've been wanting to do since forever. I had it roughly planned for years but never got around to writing it because I didn't really feel it. And I know those of you who know my other stories are going to say I'm crazy for starting this one when I'm still struggling to catch up on my other ones. But having to restart has made my creative juices go crazy and wanting something different; and then this story just came to me. Hopefully, you'll all enjoy it as well! Happy holidays!


	2. Batman

_8 years ago_

"Becky!"

Rebecca turned in surprise at the familiar voice calling her name.

"Bruce?" She asked, her surprise only growing when she saw Bruce carrying a medium carry-on. "What's going on?"

"Chill is being released." Bruce answered without preamble, and Rebecca's jaw dropped.

"What?" She whispered, certain that she'd heard wrong.

Bruce just nodded tightly, and Rebecca demanded, "Why?"

"Apparently, that _murderer_ agreed to testify against Carmine Falcone." Bruce answered bitterly, and Rebecca frowned as she asked incredulously, "The mob boss?"

"Yeah." Bruce answered, shaking his head.

His eyes were hard as he explained, "I'm leaving for Gotham now; someone has to stand up against Chill."

"Bruce, I'm so sorry." Rachel said softly, reaching up to hug her oldest and dearest friend. "I'd skip class now and go with you, but I have an exam tonight and it's kind of late to try and push that."

"No, it's okay." Bruce answered firmly, though he returned the hug tightly. "I just wanted you to know why I'd be gone."

Rebecca frowned as she felt Bruce tremble slightly, and she pulled back as she asked, "Bruce? What's wrong?"

She could easily see the tension in her friend's face, and the grim lines and cold look in his eyes worried her. Rebecca was only a year into Princeton, starting her major in Criminal Justice and taking psychology courses for her minor already. However, it didn't take a genius to know Bruce was upset - no, what was tugging warningly on her gut was something else.

She knew Bruce, better than almost anyone, and she could see something in his eyes as his old friend, something that caused worry to pool in her stomach.

"I'm fine." Bruce answered, and she noted a little flatly, "It would be even weirder if you _were_ actually fine with this."

Bruce hesitated, and Rebecca shook her head.

"I'll go try get my exam postponed and go back with you." She said determinedly, but Bruce shook his head quickly.

"No, I know how much you want to do well with your professors." He disagreed. "Don't worry about me; I promise I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Rebecca asked hesitantly.

Bruce nodded once, before he glanced at his watch.

"I've got to go." He muttered, pushing back his loose brown hair as the front curls threatened to fall into his eyes. "The plane'll be waiting for me."

"Right – private jet." Rebecca muttered, and Bruce cracked a strained smile.

"Just, be careful then." Rebecca sighed as she gave Bruce another tight hug.

She wasn't quite sure why she was telling him to be careful, when he was only going to court to watch Chill's hearing. But Bruce could be a magnet for trouble when he wanted to be, and she had an uneasy feeling in her stomach, a feeling she had long learned to trust. Especially when it related to Bruce.

When she had been fourteen, a then sixteen-year-old Bruce had informed her of his plans to go skiing with Alfred in Vermont. Somehow, Rebecca had had a bad feeling when he left – and sure enough, Bruce and Alfred had returned to Wayne Manor the next morning in a twin-rotor helicopter after Bruce broke his leg and gained a slight concussion. The billionaire heir had gone skiing illegally after hours when he had arrived too late to go on the slopes – despite never having skied before in his life.

She had shaken her head every day while he recovered, scolding the older teen for being so reckless and almost getting himself killed. Heir to the Wayne family he may be, but he had always just been Bruce to her and as such she treated him like the older brother she'd never had.

Bruce remembered that time too, as well as all the other times Rebecca treated him like just another boy albeit one she was extremely close to.

It was something Bruce had always secretly appreciated, as well as the fact that she had never treated him differently even after his parents were killed. Many people had pitied him and even Rachel had grown a little distant after he allegedly changed after his parents passed away.

But Rebecca stuck with him through everything, always just treating him as Bruce and never afraid to snap him back into place. Even at Princeton University, she was the only one who treated Bruce like any other college student – though she could sometimes be brutal in her honesty because of it. He still remembered when he'd gotten severely drunk at a party and she had had to be the one to take care of him the next day. Suffice to say, he'd never drunk that much again.

However, at the moment, Bruce didn't want Rebecca to remind him of what was right. He wanted revenge on Chill if the man was going to be released despite killing his parents, and he knew Rebecca would do everything to stop him.

So, Bruce kept silent as Rebecca let him go again, patting his back as she did so.

But as she turned to go back to class, Bruce grabbed her arm and turned her towards him once more.

"Becky-" He began, but then he faltered.

His eyes dropped quickly to her lips before going back to her curious blue eyes as he hesitated.

"Bruce?" Rebecca asked, frowning slightly as she looked at him worriedly, and Bruce decided against it.

It would only hurt her if things went wrong tomorrow, and he could never do that – not to Rebecca.

So, instead, he asked, "Will you wait for me? To come back, I mean." He added hastily as he saw her concern.

"Of course." Rebecca answered, wondering what was wrong but certain in her answer. "I'll always be here for you, Bruce."

She gestured to where she stood beside him to emphasize her point, and Bruce whispered softly, "Thanks, Becky."

He hesitated for only a brief second, before he leant down and pressed a soft kiss onto Rebecca's cheek.

Then, he turned and walked quickly away while Rebecca stared after him with worry in her blue eyes. As he disappeared, Rebecca turned back to her class absently while silently deciding to call her sister and Alfred to make sure Bruce was looked after in Gotham.

At the time, that had seemed the best decision to make. And Rebecca would remain unaware how much she would regret not following Bruce that day for another thirty hours before she received the call.

Alfred called her late the next night to ask her frantically if she'd heard from Bruce because the young master had not returned home that evening. Rebecca quickly called Rachel, who was hysterical as she blamed herself for letting Bruce go see Falcone himself after she and Bruce had gotten into a fight about Chill and justice in general.

Rebecca heard it all with dread, before she packed up instantly to return to Gotham to help search for Bruce. They searched for months, Rebecca even taking a semester off Princeton before Alfred forced her to return to her schooling.

And as months led to years, they were one by one forced to give up on ever finding Bruce.

Rebecca had been the last to let go and move on with life. It had taken Alfred's kind but firm words and her sister's pleading for Rebecca to finally realize that whether Bruce was dead or alive, he wasn't coming back to them. Not right now, and perhaps never.

And though she never quite believed that, just like Alfred, Rebecca had agreed she needed to live her own life and so had instead turned to invest all her time and effort into becoming a GCPD detective.

She was determined that there would be no more Bruce Waynes - people whose parents were murdered by muggers and people who might disappear without any consequences to the mob that organized their disappearances.

With that goal in mind, Rebecca had graduated top of her class three years later, going on to join the GCPD under Sergeant James Gordon. She had soon become one of his most trusted officers, and was promoted to detective at the tender age of 25. It was hard work, but Rebecca was determined.

After all, things were always darkest before the dawn, and Rebecca believed the dawn was just waiting to break for Gotham City. It just needed the right push from the right people.

* * *

Rebecca yawned as she sat beside Gordon in his car. They were making their usual rounds, checking the Narrows for any people needing police assistance, while Gordon's partner Detective Flass made the rounds of the docks.

They all knew why Flass had insisted on doing the patrol on the docks, but it wasn't like they could do anything to really stop the man anyway. Rebecca still protested it vehemently to Gordon, but her superior was firm that she stick with him to the Narrows and not after Flass.

It was in the middle of one of her grumblings that Gordon received a call, and he sighed as he answered, "Gordon here."

He then frowned as he asked, "Wait, slow down, you've got what?"

His entire face changed, and Gordon replied shortly, "We'll be there in five minutes."

He hung up, and Rebecca glanced at him as Gordon immediately hit the gas, driving them quickly… towards the docks.

"What's going on?" Rebecca asked, concerned, and Gordon explained, "That was a police patrol that was just making it's midnight rounds – when they caught a bunch of men smuggling a shipment of drugs."

"A patrol caught them, you say?" Rebecca repeated, frowning, and Gordon nodded.

"Well, to be more accurate, the officer who reported it said, quote, 'they were all sitting on the edge of the docks, tied up like turkeys'." Gordon elaborated, drawing even more surprise from the young woman beside him. "Not only that, but the officer said that there's also a surprise that we have to come see."

"Another surprise?" Rebecca asked, just as they pulled up to where a crowd of reporters was already on the scene.

Gordon ignored the reporters as he drove them through the police barriers, driving up to where the officer leading the midnight patrol was waiting for them. Rebecca climbed out of the car with Gordon as the officer – without needing to say a word – turned and led them to where a bunch of thugs were sitting, tied up in a line.

"Falcone's men?" Rebecca checked, but before the officer could answer Gordon said gloomily, "It doesn't matter. We'll never tie it to him anyway. But at least we've got-"

"I wouldn't be too sure of that." The officer interrupted Gordon, making the other two look at the man in surprise.

The officer nodded to something further down the docks, and both Rebecca and Gordon turned to look.

Rebecca's jaw dropped while Gordon's eyes widened and both took incredulous steps forward towards the large searchlight set up at the end of the docks. The light was switched on, shining brightly towards the sky, but Rebecca was far more interested in the man strapped to the light.

"Falcone." She murmured in shock, Gordon just nodding numbly beside her as they stared at the man spread-eagled against the light while some of the other officers were working on freeing the mob boss so they could arrest him.

Gordon meanwhile turned to stare up at the sky, his brow rising as he stared at the giant symbol that lit up the cloudy night sky. Falcone's body atop the light had created a dark shape in the middle of the circle of light shining up in the sky, a shape that looked almost like a bat.

Rebecca, noticing Gordon's preoccupation, also turned to look, and her blue eyes widened even further.

"Oh, my God." Rebecca muttered, and Gordon nodded again.

"You said it." He murmured numbly, though his thoughts were elsewhere.

' _Watch for my sign._ ' That crazy man from the other night had said. Well, he sure knew how to make a statement – Gordon had to give the man that.

Rachel meanwhile stared up at the symbol, thinking something similar. Whoever had managed to pull this off was clearly intent on sending a very clear message to Gotham. Whether the man was doing it for good or not remained yet to be seen, but something in Rebecca's gut told her this was going to be a positive start for them.

There was only one thing that bothered her…

"It just had to be bats." Rebecca muttered, and Gordon finally broke out of his shock to bark a laugh

"Seriously?" He asked as he glanced at his best officer. "Of all the things you could come up with, your phobia was the one you decided to comment on?"

"What can I say? Imagine if it was a giant, hairy spider, Gordon, and you'd know how I feel." Rebecca shrugged, before she looked down as her phone vibrated.

"Oh, hang on, I need to take this – it's my sister." Rebecca explained, and Gordon nodded as he looked back towards the men cutting Falcone off the searchlight.

"Go ahead – I don't think there's anything for us to actually do yet." He told her, and Rebecca nodded before taking the call.

"Rachel? Are you okay?" She asked, concerned. Due to their busy and hectic lives, the sisters usually only left each other messages; they never called unless things were urgent.

"I'm fine, but listen." Rachel sounded a little breathless, but Rebecca quickly forgot about that as her older sister continued sounding excited and overwhelmed, "Some weird guy dressed like a, a bat or something, just saved me from Falcone's men when they tried to attack me on the way back from work."

Rebecca almost cut in right there, but sensing there was more to the story, she held her tongue and waited as Rachel rattled on, her excitement starting to win out, "He then gave me some photographs, ones that incriminate Judge Faden. If we can just catch Falcone now, we've got it cinched!"

"Well, about that." Rebecca murmured as she turned to look at Falcone.

"You got him?" Rachel asked, sounding absolutely giddy with delight, and Rebecca confirmed as a small smile of her own appeared on her face, "Yeah, we got him. There's no way he can get out of this now if you're certain Faden'll rule by the law."

"He will." Rachel confirmed. "Oh my God, Becky, I can't believe it. This is _actually_ happening!"

"I know." Rebecca murmured, but something else was tugging on her gut.

"Rach, you said it was a guy dressed like a bat?" Rebecca checked, and Rachel answered, "Yeah."

Rebecca could picture Rachel's shrug in her mind as her sister continued, "I mean, it's definitely strange, but stranger things could happen. Interesting choice, though, a bat - I know you hate them, but..."

"Yeah." Rebecca murmured as she stared up at the bat symbol in the sky. "I do. So we'll have to see if this guy can prove me wrong about bats."

"I don't know yet," Rachel answered, "but he did save me so I'm willing to give him a chance."

"He caught Falcone, got back on Faden, and saved you, all in _one_ night." Rebecca replied. "I think it's safe to say I'm willing to give him a chance too. Even if he's a bat."

Rachel laughed, making Rebecca's smile widen.

Meanwhile, far above Rebecca and hidden in the deep shadows, a figure watched silently, dark brown eyes lingering with a soft longing on the smiling redhead below.

* * *

Of course, the press went crazy the next day. And it wasn't just the newspapers but everyone in the city as people talked about the mysterious 'bat' who had managed to catch one of the most untouchable crime bosses in the whole of Gotham City.

It was a field day at the police station as well, as corrupt officers wondered what was going to happen to their side bonuses now. The others like Rebecca and Gordon meanwhile wondered if this so-called 'Batman' could really be the key they had been looking for to tip the scales of justice back to the right balance.

Either way, everyone was busy around on the clock to find this Batman even if for different reasons. Commissioner Loeb himself had laid out the order to catch whoever could have been the Batman, furious that one individual – no matter the man's intentions – was taking the law into his own hands.

Corrupt cops were eager to get the Batman before the man could pull the rugs from under their feet.

Rachel was less certain. A part of her was ready to find the man, shake his hand and thank him for what he was doing. However, a part of her was also wary of the 'masked vigilante' as he was being called because Loeb was right in some ways. It could be dangerous for one man to place himself above the law in this way, especially if the man turned out not to be doing it for the good of the people.

Rebecca was willing to give the man a chance – especially since he saved her sister – but she was also ready to tread carefully on this one.

The last thing Gotham needed was for 'Batman' to become its next threat. Besides, who in their right mind dressed as a _bat?_

* * *

Bruce Wayne woke up with a start, shying away from the sudden bright light in his bedroom with a groan.

"Bats are nocturnal." He complained as he brought his sheet up over his head in a desperate attempt to escape the sunlight.

"Bats may be." Alfred retorted as he turned from where he'd pulled the curtains in Bruce's bedroom. "But even for billionaire playboys, three o'clock is pushing it."

The butler placed Bruce's breakfast tray – which held a green health juice specially made to help Bruce maintain his physique – along with the morning's newspaper on his charge's beside table as he added, "The price for leading a double life, I fear."

Bruce groaned again but removed the sheet from his face as he ran a hand over his tired face.

Alfred meanwhile picked up the newspaper, unfolding it as he held it out to Bruce while saying with a hint of sarcasm in his polite voice, "Your theatrics made an impression."

That got Bruce's attention, and the billionaire finally lifted his head to look at the front page before he took the paper from Alfred. Sitting up, he quickly skimmed the paper as he muttered, "Theatricality and deception are powerful weapons, Alfred. This is a good start."

Alfred meanwhile pursed his lips tightly as he examined the two nasty bruises already appearing on Bruce's right shoulder and bicep.

"If those," the butler stated flatly as he pointed at the deep purple bruises, "are to be the first of many injuries to come, it would be wise to find a suitable excuse. Polo, for instance."

"I'm not learning Polo, Alfred." Bruce answered instantly, looking up with a scowl on his face to show the depth of his disgust.

He returned to perusing through the paper, while Alfred noted pointedly, "Strange injuries, a nonexistent social life."

Bruce rolled his eyes as he tossed the paper to the side, reaching for his breakfast while Alfred continued, "These things beg the question as to what exactly does Bruce Wayne do with his time and his money."

Bruce sighed as he lowered his now empty glass, but he humoured Alfred as he asked, "What _does_ someone like me do?"

Alfred shrugged as he listed, "Drive sports cars, date movie stars," Bruce dropped down to the ground as he began his 'morning' pushups, "buy things that are not for sale."

As Bruce continued to huff while he worked his muscles, Alfred said in exasperation, "Who knows, Master Wayne, maybe if you start pretending to have fun, you might even have a little by accident."

"Right because wasting my money on things I don't need and dating hot, shallow women is definitely going to be fun." Bruce said sarcastically. Though, he wouldn't say no to the sports cars – Bruce had a soft spot for driving fast.

"Have you spoken with Miss Dawes yet, sir?" Alfred inquired suddenly, and Bruce froze for just the shortest moment in the middle of his first set.

That was another, larger and much more important soft spot; and Bruce couldn't believe Alfred would press it so openly.

Then again, he thought as he returned to his workout routine, he shouldn't be surprised. Alfred could be caring and coddle Bruce like a mother but he was also stern and firm when he needed to be – like a true parent.

Plus, Alfred had always had a soft spot himself for one Rebecca Dawes.

"You know I haven't, Alfred." Bruce replied between presses, and Alfred asked with a raised brow, "And why haven't you, sir?"

"You know why, Alfred." Bruce answered shortly, and Alfred nodded.

"Yes I do, sir." The British male replied pointedly. "And you know I disagree with you. But if you are adamant to follow through on your act, sir, you are going to have to be far more convincing than you are now."

And with that, Alfred left Bruce to stew in silence.


	3. Bruce Wayne

Bruce sighed as he lowered himself, swiftly swinging his legs around so that he was sitting on the floor. He gazed at his hands, which were calloused and hardened by the training he had received while he'd been gone from Gotham, while his thoughts wandered to the person he'd missed the most in all that time.

Rebecca.

It had both delighted and deflated him to see her last night. Bruce hadn't seen her since he'd left, and seeing the young woman she had grown to be had felt both like a butterfly had been set loose in his stomach and like someone had punched him in the gut.

She was beautiful, even more so now that she was an adult. It wasn't in the same way models or actresses were 'beautiful' – Rebecca wasn't 'glamorous' the way movie stars were, nor was she as thin as normal model though she was still slim and certainly tall enough to be one.

But there was something in her soft features and intelligent blue eyes that made Rebecca Dawes more beautiful to Bruce than any model or actress could be. Something kind, familiar, and special to him in a way that no-one else could provide.

And that was why Bruce had to stay away from her.

Alfred disagreed; he believed Bruce could benefit from having Rebecca back in his life to ground him as she always had since they were young. Although that wasn't the argument he'd used against Bruce. Knowing his young master as well as he did, the old butler had instead applied the logical argument that Batman could use another ally.

But Bruce wasn't as sure about drawing Rebecca into his plans. Could he ask her to bear such a heavy burden?

It was different with Alfred, who made taking care of Bruce his top priority. Lucius Fox had been a necessary piece in putting the Batman plan into action; that he was so willing to help despite suspecting the truth had simply been a pleasant surprise. Gordon was another necessary ally, as a prominent but righteous figure in the GCPD.

But Rebecca?

He would be painting a giant target on her – bigger than the one she already had on her as one of Gotham's best and incorruptible detectives. Could he do that to her?

As Bruce stared at his hands, his mind floated back to a day in his early teens, one of the many he'd spent with Rebecca.

He had been fourteen at the time, and Rebecca twelve. Rachel had stayed with her sickly mother, but Rebecca always came to spend some time with Bruce if she could. They'd been in the library where Rebecca always borrowed a book or two, when Bruce had spoken up.

* * *

 _16 years ago_

"Becky?" Bruce asked, and Rebecca hummed as she looked at the books in a section she hadn't read through yet.

"Hm?"

"What do you think of the bad people in the world?" Bruce asked out of nowhere, and Rebecca paused.

She glanced back at Bruce, who was staring out the library window to where – she knew – his parents were buried in the Wayne family graveyard. Bruce rarely spoke about the incident, never having been quite the same after his parents' deaths. That, Rebecca thought, was natural – after all, he'd seen a man murder his mother and father in cold blood.

However, she was concerned with the rage and guilt Bruce suppressed no matter how often she and Alfred tried to reach out to him. It wasn't healthy at all, and it often manifested itself in dark moods wherein he spoke about things such as crime and injustice. Such as now.

"I think," Rebecca answered as she came over and sat on the window seat beside her friend, "that bad people are people who were just like us until they choose to do something they shouldn't as human beings."

"You don't think they're just born bad?" Bruce asked, a little bitterly. "That maybe they don't have any cause for redemption because they're just scum from the moment they're born?"

That made Rebecca turn, and she placed her hands on Bruce's knees as she forced the older boy to look her in the eyes.

"It's not a matter of being born good or not." She stated firmly, her blue eyes piercing Bruce's brown ones.

"What sets good and bad people apart… it's not by what we are underneath. It's what we do that defines who we are."

* * *

Bruce hadn't replied, and Rebecca had left it at that.

To be honest, the memory had been lost, until that fateful day when Rachel had yelled at Bruce and then dropped him off in front of Falcone's lair.

It had only been then, as he stood ashamed of what he had been planning to do, that Bruce had remembered Rebecca's words.

She had been so young still, but her words were wise – a fact that had surprised her as much as him. He'd seen in her face that she'd been rather proud of what she'd said, of how she had articulated her core beliefs. So much so that it had become a bit of a mantra for her – and Rachel, who'd also been impressed with the idea when Rebecca later shared it with her sister.

Even so, at the time, Bruce hadn't taken Rebecca's words to heart, too bittered by the world.

But standing there after Falcone's men had beat him up, Bruce had remembered, and he had carved her words into his heart – right alongside his feelings for the redhead. Her words had driven him in his training in Tibet, in taking down Ra's al Ghul, and still drove him now as he prepared to watch over Gotham as its protector.

But…

If Bruce truly wanted to live by those words, he was going to have to act like her words never mattered to him in the public eye. To protect those he cared about and himself, he would have to paint Bruce Wayne as the type of billionaire heir Rebecca hated more than anything else (except maybe criminals) in the world in order to keep the suspicions of Batman's identity away from him.

So if he didn't tell her the truth about Batman's identity, Bruce knew he would inevitably lose Rebecca.

But if he told her the truth, he risked putting her in danger.

And Bruce closed his fists as he made his decision. He couldn't do that - not to Becky, not ever. And that left him only one choice.

So long as he was Batman, Rebecca couldn't know. It was for her safety.

With a heavy heart, Bruce finally got up, getting ready to shower before he had to start looking for the right location and suitable date for the evening ahead.

* * *

Rebecca was dragging her feet by the time she got back to the apartment she shared with her sister after a long day at work, investigating the Batman and also looking into some other things.

"I'm back." Rebecca called, knowing Rachel would still be up. Her sister had had an engagement with a blind date someone had set her up on, and would only have gotten back an hour ago at the earliest.

Sure enough, Rachel appeared in the bedroom doorway, her hair just blown dry after her shower.

"How was the date?" Rebecca asked as she locked the door before heading into the kitchen for a very late dinner.

"He was boring." Rachel dismissed, following her sister into the kitchen. "But, I ran into… the most unexpected person while I was at the hotel."

"Who?" Rebecca asked, not really paying attention as she rummaged about for some food.

"Bruce."

Now, her sister had her full attention.

"You saw _Bruce_?" Rebecca repeated as she straightened, food forgotten, and she stared at her sister. "At a _hotel_?"

"I didn't _just_ see him." Rachel informed, her arms folded as her earlier disappointment and anger with their former friend returned. "I ran into him. He was soaking wet – in a full three-piece suit – and leaving with two models, who were also soaked. Apparently, the three of them took a dip in the decorative pool in the restaurant."

Rebecca blinked. And then blinked again.

"This _is_ Bruce Wayne you're talking about, right?" Rebecca checked, and Rachel nodded tightly.

"Not only that, apparently he bought the entire hotel when the staff tried to stop him from getting in the pool." Rachel continued, and Rebecca shook her head.

"No, that's not Bruce." She reasoned, but Rachel answered, her tone softening as her own sorrow surfaced beneath her anger, "I didn't believe it at first either. But… he's changed, Becky. I didn't even see a _hint_ of the boy we knew in the man I met."

Rebecca pursed her lips. While she knew her sister's judgment could hardly be flawed – especially to _this_ extent – Rebecca still found it hard to believe someone could change that drastically. Bruce had always hated how people expected him to be an arrogant snob, though he wasn't above using that 'persona' as they'd called it to irritate the people who annoyed him or Rebecca.

And unless he had a grudge against the whole of Gotham – not very likely, if he was anything like the boy Rebecca knew – then something just wasn't adding up.

"I think I'll go see him tomorrow after all." Rebecca said at last, and Rachel nodded, unsurprised. "I think it's time I straightened out exactly what's going on, both with Bruce and with his friendship with us."

"With you." Rachel corrected shortly. "I can't say I want to stay friends with this man he's become."

Rebecca winced. "It was that bad?"

"Just wait until you see him." Rachel sighed, shaking her head. "And… try not to be too disappointed, Becky. I know how much he meant to you, more so than me."

"I don't actually have a crush on him, Rach." Rebecca sighed, and Rachel countered, "I _know_ you had feelings for Bruce when he left."

"Yes, but then he left." Rebecca pointed out. "And I _did_ move on, despite what you seem to think."

"It's hard to believe when you haven't dated anyone since senior year of high school." Rachel answered dryly, but Rebecca reminded, "Because I was preparing for the police academy. And let's be realistic, I don't see anyone outside of the police officers – I just don't have the time. And you can't honestly say you want me to date anyone from the station."

Rachel grimaced, and Rebecca continued, "The only man there actually worthy of being an officer is Jim Gordon – which is really sad omen for Gotham more than for my love life, when you think about it."

Rachel sighed, and she just said as she went back to her room, "Fine. But you still cared about Bruce, just like I did; so I'm telling you, Becky, just try not to be too disappointed."

Rebecca nodded, though in her mind she was already determined to figure out exactly what was going on with Bruce Wayne. Because her sister just couldn't be right… could she?

* * *

When Bruce got back to the Manor late that night, it was suffice to say he was in a foul mood.

"I am going to take a guess, and say that you did not enjoy your evening after all, sir." Alfred noted dryly, seeing the dark shadow on his young master's face.

"It was terrible." Bruce replied flatly. "I think I'm going to have a headache from those two models' incessant and meaningless chatter. I also ended up buying the hotel," Alfred raised a brow, "and I ran into Rachel of all people after making a complete jerk out of myself."

"Ah." Alfred said noncommittally. That explained Bruce's even worse mood than Alfred had anticipated. "At least you did not have to see the younger Miss Dawes in person, sir."

"I didn't have to." Bruce answered darkly. "Rachel's face said it all – I can already picture Becky's face when Rachel tells her about me."

"You knew this was the sacrifice you would have to make, Master Wayne." Alfred reminded him calmly. "Unless you wish to give up your mad plan already?"

"Nice try, Alfred." Bruce answered with a sigh as he turned to head towards the secret base in the cave. "But if this keeps Becky – and Gotham - safe forever, then that's what it's going to have to be."

Alfred sighed but followed Bruce as the younger man moved to get ready for another night as Batman.

* * *

Bruce woke up groggily after another long night of chasing the rest of Falcone's drugs. He'd tracked down Flass, but the man's information had only narrowed the possibilities down to –ironically – the Narrows.

After spending the whole night looking, Bruce had been forced to give up for that day as he returned to Wayne Manor, where he promptly fell asleep as the sun was rising. However, it seemed a noise downstairs had woken him up, and Bruce groaned as he turned so that he could go back to sleep. Surely Alfred would handle-

"I'll just be a minute, Alfred. I just need to speak with him!"

Bruce shot upright at _that_ voice, and – hearing footsteps coming closer - he dashed across the room to grab his dressing gown while Alfred protested, "Miss Dawes, Master Wayne is still asleep. If you come back later-"

"I can't, I have work to do. Besides, it really will only take a minute and it's not like I haven't seen him with bedhead before." Rebecca answered as she opened Bruce's bedroom door.

Bruce stood in the middle of the room, having just managed to tie his dressing gown around his waist, and Rebecca raised a brow.

"You're up?" She asked, missing the look of small relief that passed over Alfred's face when the old gentleman saw Bruce had managed to cover up all of his bruises from the previous few nights.

"After the racket you were making? Who wouldn't be?" Bruce joked lightly as he drew his charming smile onto his tired face. "Becky, it's good to see you again."

Rebecca didn't smile back, staring at him for a moment as though she'd gone into shock.

Bruce shot Alfred a quick look, wondering if maybe there was something visible on his face, before looking back to Rebecca as she asked slowly, "Who are you, and where is my best friend?"

"What?" Bruce asked, confused, and Rebecca elaborated, a little sharply, "You _never_ used that fake smile with me before, and you promised me you never would."

The smile instantly dropped from his face, and Bruce sighed.

Yes, he remembered making that promise – but he couldn't keep it anymore. He had an act to play in front of Rebecca; he just hadn't realized how hard it would be to actually follow through on once she was actually in front of him.

"Look, Becky, this just isn't a good time." Bruce said, only half-acting as he played an exhausted rich jerk. "I'm tired."

"From what?" Rebecca asked a little dryly but Bruce could see she was already starting to be disappointed. She'd looked him over, and presented by the false persona he was exuding (as subtly as possible because it was the only way to fool Becky), it was clear that she was starting to doubt herself.

"Well," Bruce answered with a hint of carefully balanced arrogance, "I'm assuming you've heard from Rachel that I was out last night with two very lovely ladies."

Rebecca's eyes narrowed, but Bruce just kept his façade on as he continued, "I'll admit, brunette's not really my type but she was better, shall we say, company than her blonde friend."

"And I'll admit, I didn't really believe Rachel when she said you'd changed." Rebecca said slowly, her brows furrowed. "Even when I found it strange that Alfred was adamant I couldn't see you right now. Now I'm starting to think I should be grateful I didn't find you naked in bed with two women."

"You should be." Bruce replied with acted bluntness. "Although, maybe it would actually be a gift for _you_ to see _me_ naked."

"So, you're saying you spent your night buying a _hotel_ and then having sex with two models you've never met before last night?" Rebecca asked sharply, and Bruce answered with the same bluntness, "No, I'm saying I spent my night having a good f*ck, and don't appreciate _you_ barging in and waking me up so early-"

Smack!

Bruce didn't move, though he could already feel his cheek starting to heat up as the skin no doubt reddened from the force of Rebecca's slap.

Rebecca's palm was also already red, but she ignored the stinging as she glared up at Bruce while blinking back tears that she adamantly told herself were because of her throbbing hand.

"I don't know what you're trying to pull here." Rebecca said, her voice low and forced even though Bruce could still hear the hurt in it. "But I refuse to believe that the boy I knew is letting himself go like this."

Bruce realized he needed to quickly convince Rebecca that this was who he already was – that he was beyond her saving. Otherwise, she would persist in coming by and trying to help him become the man he could be; the man his parents wanted him to be. A good man.

And he couldn't have her stay. Not if she could get hurt because of it. With a heavy heart, Bruce knew exactly what he had to say to get her to believe his act once and for all.

"It's not what we are underneath," he quoted and he saw the shock register in Rebecca's eyes, "but what we do that defines us."

As Rebecca stared at him, aghast, Bruce continued coolly, "Well, I've decided _this_ is what defines me. I don't see why I should have to continue to play a nice little boy when I can do what I want anyway."

He gestured about him to indicate his wealth, and Rebecca gaped at him.

"I don't… I can't believe what I'm hearing." Rebecca said in a shaking voice. "Who _are_ you?"

"I'm Bruce Wayne." Bruce answered calmly. "As I _should_ have been for years."

"You're wrong." Rebecca shot back. "This isn't you; you're living a lie, Bruce!"

"And you're living in the past." Bruce shrugged. "But if you can't let me go, that's fine. It happens. Just don't be too clingy; it'll ruin my dates, and besides: no-one likes a woman who can't let go."

Rebecca's jaw clenched and she said stiffly, "Rachel was right – you have changed. And I can't say I want to stay friends with who you've become."

Bruce shrugged, ignoring the stab in his heart, while Rebecca stated as she turned to go, "If you decide to wake up and be who your father raised you to be, call me."

"I wouldn't wait if I were you." Bruce called after her, a part of him dying even as he said the words he knew would be like a smack to her face. The words he didn't want to say but knew would be exactly what made her leave him for good.

Sure enough, Rebecca stilled for just a moment before she walked away again while Alfred politely escorted her out. But not before Bruce saw something glistening suspiciously on Rebecca's cheek as she turned around the doorway on her way out of his bedroom.

Bruce turned and threw himself back onto the bed, face down as he listened to the front door slam a few beats later. Alfred returned soon after, and he observed his young master for a moment where Bruce lay sprawled across his covers.

"Well, sir," the butler finally said dryly, "I think you can consider your plan a brilliant success."

"Please, Alfred," Bruce sighed, "just… not right now."

Alfred sighed, but nodded as he left the room, closing the door softly as he let Bruce nurse his own heartbreak in privacy.


	4. Puzzles

"You were right." Rebecca growled into her phone as she strode home that evening. "He's such a… ugh! I just can't believe it, even now!"

"I did tell you." Rachel remarked. "I tried to warn you not to be disappointed."

It was rare for the sisters to call each other with something not urgent. Their jobs required them to often be on alert for sudden calls regarding work, or they were generally incredibly busy and didn't have time for more than a quick text or two.

But after having kept her feelings bottled up the entire day during her shift, Rebecca had finally needed an outlet. She'd been thinking of her meeting with Bruce repetitively throughout the day; but the more she thought about it, the more she felt as though she were sinking into quicksand, threatening to die from suffocation.

After messaging Rachel to check she wasn't busy, Rebecca had called her sister to vent on her anger, disappointment, and – if she was honest – the heartbreak at losing someone she had loved though she wouldn't admit even to herself to what degree she had loved Bruce. Especially not after that morning.

"It's just, it's so sudden. I can't believe he could have changed _this_ much." Rebecca muttered, but Rachel pointed out quietly, "He's been gone for _eight years_ , Becky. A lot can happen in that time – take us for example."

"But we haven't exactly changed from when we were younger." Rebecca pointed out. "At least, not in personality - not really."

"No, we haven't." Rachel answered softly. "But we've been forced to wake up to the realities of the world and to do what we can with what we've been given. That's a big change itself. We're no longer the kids we were, thinking we can save the world. So is it so hard to believe that, well, maybe Bruce turned the other way?"

Rebecca sighed. Yes, it _was_ hard for her to believe – she' known Bruce for years and a large part of her just didn't believe that her best friend could have become such a stranger.

But all the evidence pointed to the truth that Rebecca realized she had to accept however unwillingly. God knew how many people she'd encountered in her line of work who swore the person they'd married couldn't be capable of murder. They would continue to insist the police were wrong even as Rebecca cuffed their wife or husband; and it was only when all the evidence was released through the trial that they were forced to accept the truth. Sometimes, people changed and that was the bottom line.

It was just a bitter pill to swallow that _Bruce_ of all people had changed for the worse.

"Anyway, I have to go now." Rachel informed her sister as Rebecca remained silent. "I have extra work since Finch is still out on his investigations. I'll be later than you in coming home for once."

"Yeah." Rebecca sighed. "Gordon told me to just go in early as a treat since we caught Falcone."

"You deserve it." Rachel encouraged. "You worked for years trying to corner him."

"And it took 'Batman' only one night." Rebecca reminded with a chuckle, but Rachel shrugged as she answered, "We don't know – he could have been waiting for years for this."

"True." Rebecca mused as she recalled the stories Falcone's men had told the police. "A guy doesn't get good at taking out over a dozen men at once overnight."

"Speaking of taking out men," Rachel added, "you be careful, Becky. I still can't believe Falcone tried to attack me, and I'm worried about you. Especially since we got him now – those of his men still out there can't be too happy."

"I know." Rebecca replied. "Gordon said the same thing. I promise I _will_ be careful."

"Okay." Rachel said, satisfied. "Now I really have to go."

"See you later." Rebecca confirmed before she hung up.

Rebecca sighed as she walked down the dark streets towards the subway to get home, huddling herself against the light rain. It was the perfect icing to her day that she didn't have her car today. Although, considering she'd let Rachel borrow it since her sister was going to be in the office much later than her tonight, Rebecca couldn't quite regret the decision.

However, it didn't mean it made her day any lighter than it had been.

It had been a long day, despite her getting out early from work. After her morning with Bruce, she'd arrived at work with puffy red eyes and a headache; which had only worsened as Loeb barked orders to find the masked vigilante.

But every lead – which wasn't much – on the guy was a dead end. It was like the guy never existed – and with no prints, no details on his appearance besides that he looked like a bat, and not even a description of the guy's voice (apparently, he either had a serious case of vocal damage or he had disguised his voice), there wasn't much the police could do.

So instead of chasing shadows – literally – Rebecca had used every opportunity to try to alleviate her headache by searching up on Dr. Jonathon Crane.

Something about the Falcone case wasn't quite right, she was sure of it. The drugs he had been dealing the night they finally caught him and uncovered his bust didn't match up completely with the recorded orders they had found on his hard drive. There had been too many documented orders compared to the amount Falcone had been selling himself. It wasn't a major detail – but it bothered Rebecca.

There was something there, she was sure of it. Her gut feeling was rarely wrong in these cases – one of the reasons she was one of the best detectives in the GCPD – and she was determined she'd figure it out. Her diggings had showed an interesting link to Crane – and remembering her conversation with Rachel, she started investigating the elusive Arkham doctor.

Arkham Asylum's chief psychiatrist Jonathon Crane was a genius in his field, having earned his doctorate in psychology at the age of 21. His thesis had been on a surprising subject – fear reflex – but what Rebecca found most odd was the reports on his patients in Arkham. Specifically, the ones related to cases that Falcone was implied to have been behind. All of them had been declared legally insane by Crane and moved to Arkham instead of being locked up in prison.

It had taken quite a bit of digging, but Rebecca found that these patients had been reported to display unusual levels of complete insanity after admittance into Arkham. Strange to be sure, especially when they had neither shown any prior symptoms nor had insanity in their family history. And particularly so when they were all recorded to spend days screaming in fear.

Fear – exactly what Crane specialized in.

It could be a coincidence… but Rebecca somehow doubted it.

After finally finding enough links to warrant at least an inspection, she'd submitted an application for clearance to investigate Arkham and was expecting to hear back within the next few days regarding other information on Crane and his patients.

Rebecca had also received a bit of surprising, if somewhat unrelated, news as well.

Gordon had confided in her (and her only) that he'd been in contact with the man who was becoming famous as 'the Batman', and twice at that. He was always masked, hidden mostly in the shadows, and his voice unrecognizable; but he'd still appeared before Gordon. He was also the strange man they'd chased on the station roof, and Gordon admitted that he thought Batman was probably trying to do some good rather than being a dangerous threat.

However, it wasn't confirmed, and Gordon stressed to her that they should really wait to see which side Batman really turned out to be on. And while Rebecca agreed, she couldn't help but fervently hope that Batman at least turned out to be good. After the shock she'd received from Bruce, she really needed the affirmation that there really was good in this world.

It was as this thought passed through her head that Rebecca suddenly felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise.

Feeling the prickling sense of danger, Rebecca slowed slightly as she looked around cautiously. There was nothing too special about the road as she walked towards the station… but she spotted the two men casually loitering near the end of the road before the subway entrance.

And looking back, she could see two men also 'casually' leaning against a wall not far behind her. Finally, looking to the side, she could see another pair of men strolling along on the other side of the street. They were surrounding her and cornering her towards the alley on her left.

Rebecca knew she had three options; one, take the men on head first. This was the most desperate option, because while she was trained in combat, the odds of taking on six fully-grown and heavily muscled men and winning were _not_ in her favor.

Option two, she could make a run now for the other corner of the road and keep running while she rang for help on her cell. This option was slightly more appealing as in normal circumstances it at least gave her better chances at survival. However, if these men were sent by Falcone or Crane – which she suspected to be the case – her chances weren't that much higher than option number one. These men wouldn't care as much about being caught as they would about ensuring she was killed - and she wouldn't put it passed them to gun her down as she ran.

Option three, she could bolt into the alley _before_ she was cornered, and find a way to climb out. This was a dangerous gamble, because if these men had more friends waiting in the alley she would essentially be walking right into their trap with open arms. Not to mention, they might easily catch up to her before she could get away. However, it could also be her best shot at escaping.

Rebecca knew she needed to decide _now_ – the men were starting to realize she'd caught onto them – so she made her split-second choice.

"Hey!" One of the men exclaimed as Rebecca abruptly turned and bolted into the alley, surprising the six men who'd been watching her.

Thankfully, the alley was empty, and Rebecca wasted no time in jumping onto the nearest trashcan and swinging herself up onto the lowest fire escape railing she could find.

Unfortunately, her luck ran out: the rain that had started from the night before and hadn't really let up the whole day had made the bars slippery, and she fell back down onto the trashcans.

"Shit." Rebecca muttered as she saw the men run into the alley.

"Well, well, look what we've got here." One of them spoke, smirking while his friends pulled guns from their waistbands. "A lost little detective."

Rebecca's eyes narrowed, though she kept backing slowly away from the men. But there wasn't anywhere she could go, and now her only escape was blocked off by six burly men. Which meant her only choice was to fight and hope she at least took down some men with her.

Her own gun was hidden under her jacket, and Rebecca knew if she moved fast enough she could at least get a shot into two, maybe three of the men. Of course, then she'd probably die when the remaining three shot her at point-blank range.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?" The leader of the pack sneered. "You afraid of a few guys like us?"

Rebecca glared, and the man chuckled as he said, "Come on, we won't hurt you; we just want to play a little bit."

"You wish." Rebecca spat back. "You're nothing but cheap muscle."

The look in the man's eyes changed instantly, and the other guys all growled menacingly at the insult while the lead man said in a low voice, "You'll regret that, b*tch."

Suddenly, a dark, cloaked figure dropped down right in front of Rebecca, coming between her and the thugs and making her start in surprise.

"That's no way to call a lady." The stranger said in a low tone.

And before Rebecca or the thugs could even fully register the deep, raspy voice, the mysterious figure had already moved into action, leaping at Rebecca's would-be assailants.

The lead thug yelped as Batman punched him in the stomach before whacking him on the head and taking him out. The others quickly shook off their shock, starting to aim at the masked vigilante, but Batman was too quick. He flew around them, taking each of them down quickly and efficiently while avoiding their bullets as they opened fire.

It also seemed that his armour could deflect the few bullets that came near his person though Rebecca noticed the heavy, stiff armour also seemed to slow the man down slightly.

"Die, you son of a bi-!" One of the thugs yelled, frustrated and frightened, and he raised a knife and started towards Batman, all while nursing a broken nose.

Batman whirled around, a beat late as he had been busy taking out another thud, when another gunshot fired.

The last of the thugs dropped instantly, his knife clattering to the ground while he howled in pain and clutched his leg where it had been shot.

Batman quickly punched the man, knocking him out, before he turned to Rebecca who held a smoking gun firmly in both hands. She was shaking slightly as she looked up at him, her blue eyes filled with a hint of fear as she looked at his mask, particularly the bat-like ears at the top.

"You don't have to be afraid of me - I won't hurt you." Batman informed her in that strange, deep voice, and Rebecca blinked.

"I know that." She answered, the fear leaving her eyes as she looked at the men lying all around Batman. "You _did_ just save me."

"And you shouldn't have shot him." Batman added, and Rebecca raised a brow as she looked back at him.

"Excuse me?" She asked, and Batman repeated, "You shouldn't have pulled out a gun."

"A simple thank you could suffice." Rebecca informed the masked vigilante, feeling slightly miffed, but Batman warned, "I don't agree with guns – you could have killed someone."

"But I didn't." Rebecca retorted, frowning at the odd man towering before her. "I'm a police detective with five years of field experience – I know how to aim and I made sure I wasn't going to hit anywhere fatal. It's against police principal anyway."

"I don't need you to help me by shooting people." Batman insisted, and Rebecca snapped as she glared up into the masked man's dark eyes, "Fine, I'm sorry I couldn't just sit back and watch you get injured because you were helping me."

Batman stared at her silently before he turned, making to leave.

"Wait." Rebecca called, and Batman paused, glancing back at her over his caped shoulder.

"Thank you." She said, and though it was a little grudgingly she was entirely sincere in her gratitude. "For saving me."

"You don't have to thank me." Batman answered curtly, and Rebecca frowned as she answered, "Of course I do – you saved my _life_."

"You don't ever have to thank me." Batman replied firmly, and Rebecca's frown deepened.

As the man made to leave again, she asked, "Why don't I have to thank you? You saved my life, and you've saved my sister's life before."

"I don't do it to be thanked." Batman replied. "Be careful going home."

He paused, and added, "And thank you for helping me."

With that, he suddenly pulled himself up on a line towards the rooftops, where he disappeared into the shadows once more.

"I didn't do it to be thanked either." Rebecca muttered into the darkness.

She quickly headed out of the alley, shakily making her way onto the train to get back home.

Unbeknownst to her, Bruce watched her like a hawk as he followed her home, ensuring she got into her apartment safely before he let out a sigh of relief. That had been close. But saving Rebecca had made it all too clear that Falcone was anything if done – at the very least, there was someone else in the game.

And that had to be the person that the other half of the drug shipments had been going to be delivered to.

Bruce headed back towards the Narrows, now that Rebecca was safely home. He had more searching to do to find out exactly where the drugs had been going; who had been ordering them; and why.

* * *

Rebecca took a nice long shower to calm her nerves after her near-death experience.

She had been, admittedly, rattled by what had happened but paired with Batman's rescue, it only made her all the more convinced that she was doing the right thing and on the right path. It was just too coincidental that she had been attacked just hours after she submitted a request for clearance to investigate Crane.

It was the unpleasant truth that the police station was filled with at least as many corrupt officers as it had actual criminals in the holding cells; possibly more. And Rebecca suspected someone had probably tipped Crane off that she was closing in on him.

Well, if they thought threatening her was going to work, they were wrong. Tomorrow, she would look into things further and try to see if she couldn't get that clearance sooner.

For now, her thoughts turned once more to the curious man known as Batman.

He was certainly odd, that much was clear. His distaste for guns and killing made him an interesting character in itself, but there was something else that was bothering Rebecca. Something she couldn't quite place her finger on.

She went through it – again – in her head.

The tall figure, standing maybe four or five inches above her height of five foot eight. She'd guess the man was still somewhat young, probably younger than forty from the lack of wrinkles from what little could be seen of his face. And if she really had to peg him, she'd even go so far as to say he probably wasn't that much over thirty, if that.

His voice, naturally, was indistinguishable, as was the rest of his face. But Rebecca wondered why he still felt vaguely familiar. She thought back to the only really clear part of his features – his eyes. They were a deep, dark brown – which narrowed down the possibilities _slightly_ – and she was certain they were what made him feel familiar.

Could Batman be someone she knew? If so, who?

Rebecca quickly ran through all the people she knew with dark brown eyes. The first person she thought of, naturally, was Gordon – but she quickly crossed him off. As much as she respected her boss's desire for finally getting justice, there were too many things that didn't add up for _that_ possibility to be right.

The next person she thought of was Bruce – but, again, she cut that thought off. Bruce had proven he was a changed man for the worse; there was no way he was wearing a mask and cape to fight crime at night.

Not wanting to even think of him at the moment, Rebecca continued to wrack her brain. Rachel's boss, Finch? No, he hadn't been pushed into action until the Batman brought up evidence while the Batman had clearly shown initiative. She supposed it could all be an act…

An act. Rachel tilted her head physically as she followed her deductions down a different thought path.

Batman didn't want to be found – why else would he go to such excruciating lengths to hide his identity? The reason for hiding could be anything: maybe he was protecting his loved ones, maybe he just didn't want to always have to watch his back when he wasn't fighting crime.

Whatever the reason, he'd made it clear he held his private identity very close to the chest. So, then the man behind the mask would be someone who didn't _want_ to be suspected. Someone who would probably go to great lengths to… avoid… suspicion…

Rebecca stopped, staring blankly ahead as something clicked in her head and she abruptly realized what had been niggling her about her meeting with Batman.

" _You don't have to be afraid of me – I won't hurt you."_ He had said.

You don't have to be afraid of ME.

The inflection had been slight, but it had been there, just noticeable enough that her subconscious picked up on it. He'd spoken as though he knew she would be afraid of someone like him – or rather, _something_. He'd said the words after noticing her fear of his bat mask, she was sure of it.

That alone wasn't much – unless paired with her other and much larger revelation, a realization that had struck her like a thunderbolt though it hadn't the first time she'd thought of it.

An act.

What better way to avoid suspicion of being a vigilante out to protect Gotham, than to act like one was completely selfish and self-absorbed? And if one was guaranteed to be in the public eye anyway, what better way to hide than to flaunt a false persona in the limelight?

' _No… it can't be possible.'_ Rebecca thought, her head reeling.

But she knew, deep down, that she was right.

There were too many coincidences - Batman's first appearance to Gordon just after Bruce's sudden return from the dead. And hadn't she said herself that Batman would have to be someone with extensive training in combat?

Bruce had trained in gymnastics on an Olympic level – one of his sports whims that had actually stuck for more than a week – since he was sixteen. Rebecca had even joined him on more than one occasion. And then Bruce had disappeared off the face of the earth for eight years – what if he had been training in all that time? His built body certainly suggested so.

And there was more: Batman's suit, clearly made of highly advanced armour that could _not_ be cheap but wouldn't be a problem for a billionaire. Batman knowing her fear of bats – because she was certain he'd known before he noticed her reaction to his mask – and Bruce having shared her phobia of the creatures.

And really, what were the odds? Why would someone dress as a _bat_ of all things? Unless it was to drive in fear through fear itself. After all, what could be a better way to overcome one's fear than to use it to spread fear in one's enemies?

And finally, Bruce's rather sudden change in personality that hadn't quite matched what his eyes had been saying when Rebecca confronted him that very morning.

His dark brown eyes.

Rebecca sank into the kitchen chair, suddenly feeling weak in the knees. Was it really possible; could Bruce actually be Batman?

A part of her insisted it was absurd – but the larger part of her was in shock because she just knew she was right. Just like she'd known as a child that Bruce liked to hide in higher up places than low on the ground because he could see better from a higher vantage point.

Bruce was Batman.

' _No, let's not be hasty._ ' Rebecca breathed. It could be she was just hoping the Bruce that had hurt her just this morning had been an act to protect her from… something. What, she wasn't certain - she'd have to ask him.

Just like she would ask him straight up if he was Batman. Rebecca was certain she knew Bruce well enough that if she went with a level head and asked him right out, and caught him by surprise, she would be able to read the truth out of him even if he later tried to lie.

' _Tomorrow I'll go see Bruce.'_ Rebecca thought as she went to get a good night's sleep before she went to confront her oldest friend. ' _And if he was lying to me this morning for some stupid noble cause like 'not wanting me to get hurt', I'm going to punch him. Batman or not._ '


	5. Pieces

True to her word, Rebecca went straight back to Wayne Manor the next morning.

However, she met with unexpected resistance at the front door - in the form of Alfred Pennyworth.

"Alfred." Rebecca sighed, nervous in her anticipation. "I just need to speak with him quickly. It's kind of urgent."

"I heard you, Miss Dawes." Alfred answered patiently and apologetically. "Unfortunately, Master Wayne really is out."

"So if I walk in now, he won't be lying in his bed?" Rebecca demanded.

Alfred paused, and she sighed again.

"Did Bruce tell you to bar me from coming in?" She asked, and Alfred bowed his head slightly as he answered, "My apologies, Miss Dawes, but I believe Master Wayne has made it clear he does not wish you to disturb him."

"Yes, he did." Rebecca agreed, remembering his words with a pang. "But, I just really need to speak with him again."

"If you would like, I can pass the message along at a later time." Alfred suggested, and Rebecca stared at Alfred for a moment.

For a beat, she considered blurting it out to Alfred. If Bruce was Batman, she was certain the old butler would know about it. It only made sense that Bruce had an accomplice who knew all the details just in case, and Alfred was not only Bruce's most trusted friend but also the closest. If nothing else, Rebecca was sure Alfred would have quickly figured out Bruce's scheme on his own regardless – the butler was nothing if not clever.

But, Rebecca knew this was something she should confront Bruce himself with, so she eventually just said, "I'll come back again tomorrow then. At the very least, do you think you can persuade him to accept to meet me for five minutes? I'll even give him a birthday present."

Alfred didn't answer for a moment, and Rebecca wondered if she shouldn't just storm into the Manor.

"I will certainly do my best to ensure Master Wayne will be able to meet with you before his birthday party, Miss Dawes." Alfred said eventually.

"Thank you." Rebecca muttered. "I have to get to work now; goodbye, Alfred."

"Good day, Miss Dawes." He replied, watching her go with a troubled look in his eyes as Rebecca hurried back to her car.

Had Rebecca been less absorbed in what she was certain she knew about Bruce's secret, and less concerned with the pressing issues regarding Crane, she might have realized something odd about Alfred's statement.

She'd known he was lying that Bruce wasn't in, so she hadn't given the rest of his excuses too much thought – but if Rebecca had been as sharp as she usually was, she would have picked up on Alfred's slight pause and then carefully crafted response to her request.

As it was, Rebecca had no idea as she left Wayne Manor just how dire things were in Bruce's room at that moment. If she had, she might have just blurted out the truth to Alfred and demanded to go see the very sick young man sweating it out on his bed inside the large, empty mansion.

* * *

That evening, Rebecca got in late again.

However, despite the late hour, she began rummaging about the house as she looked for something in particular.

"What are you doing?" Rachel yawned as she peered out sleepily to watch her sister.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Rebecca asked, glancing up at her sister apologetically, but Rachel just waved it away.

"It's fine, I wasn't actually asleep yet." She replied, watching as Rebecca started shuffling through their old collections of junk made affectionate by memories. "So, what _are_ you doing?"

"Looking for… this." Rebecca pulled out a particular object from all the junk and Rachel lifted a brow as she recognized it instantly.

"Becky," the older Dawes sister sighed, "what are doing with that?"

"I'm giving it to Bruce." Rebecca explained as she took the object into the kitchen so that she could box and wrap the gift. "I know you remember tomorrow's his birthday."

"Yes, but I thought we agreed that he's not the friend we once knew." Rachel observed as she watched Rebecca quickly scribbled something on a piece of paper before placing it inside the box she'd bought on the way back home to contain her gift

She then started to carefully wrap the box while Rachel continued, "I heard he's even throwing a huge party at his house at night with all the rich and powerful people in Gotham."

"Yes, but that's not exactly new, is it?" Rebecca answered as she focused on tying the ribbon into a bow. "As a Wayne, he's had to do that before."

"Not since his father passed away." Rachel reminded softly.

Rebecca paused, looking up to see her sister watching her with troubled blue eyes.

"What is it?" Rebecca asked, straightening to give her sister her full attention.

Rachel sighed.

"I'm just… worried. You keep setting yourself up to be disappointed." Rachel explained. "I thought after yesterday, you'd see he's just… not the same. And he said such awful things to you."

"I know." Rebecca answered a little evasively. "But, after thinking about it, I think there's something I… missed."

"Becky, I just don't want to have to watch you get your heart broken." Rachel said gently. "I don't want to see my little sister get hurt."

"I won't." Rebecca promised, looking her sister straight in the eye. "If anything, then I'll have closure after I give Bruce this."

She waved the box, and Rachel nodded as she gave in – Rebecca clearly wasn't going to. Rachel knew that look in those bright blue eyes too well, so she just sighed as she let the topic go for now.

"All right. Just, be careful, okay?" Rachel requested while making a mental note to go see Bruce tomorrow as well.

"Always." Rebecca answered, a little cheekily and getting a grin back from her sister.

As Rachel turned back to her room, Rebecca looked down at the box in her hands. Pressing it close to her chest, Rebecca determined she would get her answers to her questions tomorrow if it was the last thing she did. And if he continued to push her away, she would – as she told her sister – find closure in handing Bruce back their memories together.

And if he came clean…

* * *

 _22 years ago_

Bruce and Rebecca were shaking with fear in the dry well by the time rescue arrived in the form of Alfred and Bruce's father, Thomas Wayne. The bats were long gone, but the terror they had inspired remained – as it would for years to come.

Thomas Wayne brought Rebecca up first, handing her over to Alfred, before he carried his own son back to the Manor with Alfred behind him.

"Will we be needing an ambulance, Master Wayne?" Alfred asked, nodding to Bruce who was cradling his arm against his chest, but Thomas shook his head slightly as he answered, "No, I'll set the bone and take him for an x-ray later. And it doesn't seem like Rebecca's hurt, though I'll check her over as well inside."

"Very good, sir." Alfred answered.

The group's path took them passed Rachel and her and Rebecca's mother – and incidentally the Manor housekeeper – where the pair stood near the Manor front door. Mrs. Dawes stepped up contritely as Thomas walked up with his injured son in his arms, and she began apologetically, "I'm very sorry, sir. I've told-"

"No worries." Thomas interrupted firmly, waving her apologies away kindly. "It's fine. It wasn't anyone's fault – children can easily get hurt whilst playing."

He nodded back at Rebecca in Alfred's arms as he added, "Your daughter's fine, just in shock; though I will check her properly just in case."

"Thank you, sir." Mrs. Dawes bowed her head, while Thomas continued on inside, Alfred carrying Rebecca in behind with a polite nod towards Mrs. Dawes as well.

"Took quite a fall, didn't we, Master Bruce, Miss Dawes?" Alfred said lightly as they walked deeper into the Manor.

Rebecca sniffled while Bruce hung his head, and Thomas smiled as he asked lightheartedly, "And why do we fall, children?"

Neither child replied, but Thomas continued gently, "So we can learn to pick ourselves up."

* * *

Bruce woke up slowly, blinking his eyes blearily as his dream from a time long ago faded and reality settled back in. His entire body ached but at least he no longer felt like he was dying – only like he'd died and come back from the fiery pits of Hell itself.

As he heard a soft clink beside him, Bruce glanced over to see Alfred beside his bed, the butler stirring some kind of medication into a glass of water.

"How long was I out?" Bruce whispered, his voice still weak and scratchy from lack of use.

"Two days." Alfred replied. "It's your birthday."

He handed the glass over to Bruce as he added a little dryly, "Many happy returns."

Bruce groaned as he took the glass, sipping at it painfully while his brows furrowed in thought. He completely disregarded Alfred's latter statements as he instead focused on what had happened to him already two nights ago.

"I've felt these effects before," Bruce murmured, "but this was so much more potent. It was some kind of hallucinogen, weaponized in aerosol form."

As Bruce made to sip on his medication again, another familiar voice commented jokingly, "You have been hanging out at the wrong clubs, Mr. Wayne."

Bruce almost choked as he watched Lucius Fox walk up from the corner of the bedroom, and Alfred answered Bruce's questioning gaze calmly, "I called Mr. Fox when your condition worsened after the first day."

Bruce nodded slightly, before looking back at Fox as the elderly man explained, "I analyzed your blood, isolating the receptor compounds and the protein-based catalyst."

Bruce frowned and he asked tiredly, "Am I meant to understand any of that?"

"Not at all." Fox answered cheekily. "I just wanted you to know how hard it was."

Bruce almost smiled, but Fox's next words caught his attention and his focus.

"Bottom line, I synthesized an antidote." Fox finished, and Bruce asked instantly, "Could you make more?"

Fox raised a brow and he deadpanned, "You planning on gassing yourself again, Mr. Wayne."

Bruce's lips twitched up into a small smile as he answered lightly, "Well, you know how it is, Mr. Fox. You're out at night, looking for kicks, someone's passing around the weaponized hallucinogens…"

Fox chuckled, before he promised, "I'll bring what I have. The antidote should inoculate you for now."

The man then turned, greeting warmly as he left, "Alfred, always a pleasure."

"Lucius." Alfred returned, nodding back at the man as Fox left the room while Bruce lay back on his pillows.

"Did I miss anything important while I was out?" Bruce asked as he rubbed his face, and Alfred almost paused. Almost.

"Miss Dawes was here to speak with you again yesterday morning." He revealed, and Bruce glanced at the man with a frown.

"Becky?" He asked, wondering if he had heard wrong. After what he'd said to her, Bruce had been certain she would never want to see his face again let alone willingly come looking for him.

"I have a suspicion that Misss Dawes has found out who the Batman really is." Alfred informed Bruce bluntly.

Bruce looked up sharply, his expression instantly turning to alarm as Alfred amended, "Or, at the very least, she suspects who he is."

"Did she say anything?" Bruce asked quickly, and Alfred shook his head.

"She didn't necessarily say anything, sir." Alfred answered. "However, I have known Miss Dawes as long as you have, Master Wayne. And I could see it in her eyes that she knew something."

"How the hell did she-?" Bruce began, mentally scanning through his meeting with her as Batman. It had to be the catalyst somehow behind her connecting the Batman to him. But he'd been certain he'd been careful not to let anything slip.

"As I said, Master Wayne," Alfred replied, "I have known Miss Dawes as long as you have. But that also means she has known you and I as long," he gave Bruce a meaningful look, "not to mention she is very clever and skilled in deducing clues."

"Don't I know it." Bruce groaned, covering his face with his hand again. "She's always been good at it, and now she's one of Gotham's best detectives."

"I doubt you will convince her of anything but the truth now, sir." Alfred warned. "You may want to decide if you wish to continue to push Miss Dawes away from yourself and Batman, and soon – she said she would return before your party tonight to speak with you."

Bruce groaned, while Alfred took Bruce's now empty glass and headed out of the room.

The billionaire slumped back onto his pillows, running his hands through his hair. How had Rebecca figured it out? More importantly, Alfred was right. If Rebecca knew Batman's identity, his whole Bruce Wayne cover was blown anyway. He could tell her the truth; he wouldn't have to act in front of her.

But he would have to act in front of the public. Would she be okay with that? Was she even okay with him being Batman?

Most importantly, what would keep her safest if she already knew his secret?

Bruce groaned again, covering his head with his sheet. She was a damned police detective on the side of good and determined to fight for peace – she was already the furthest a Gotham citizen could be from safe. That cinched it then; Bruce sighed as he threw his covers back again.

He would be honest, and then see where Rebecca _wanted_ to be in his life, knowing the full truth about him.

' _She's probably going to hit me again when she learns what I said was a lie._ ' Bruce sighed. ' _I'll be lucky if she doesn't punch me in the face this time._ '

* * *

It was sometime later that Bruce wandered downstairs, knowing he'd have to start getting ready soon for the party, only to be brought up short by a familiar figure standing in the front doorway.

"Rachel?" Bruce asked in surprise, glad he'd actually dressed himself properly as he made his way down the last of the steps towards the front foyer.

Rachel looked up from where she'd been speaking with Alfred, surprise and then the quickly becoming familiar hint of contempt crossing her face as she remarked, "Looks like someone's been burning the candle at both ends. Must've been quite an occasion."

Bruce came to a stop before Rachel while Alfred left them to speak in private, the old butler moving discreetly away to check on the decorations being hung in the manor ballroom for the party later.

Deciding Rachel at least seemed none the wiser, Bruce gave an easy smile as he answered, "Well, it _is_ my birthday."

"I know." Rachel answered shortly. "And I was going to drop off a present, but I figured I'd talk with you while I was here. If you have the time." She added as Bruce hesitated.

"Talk about what?" Bruce asked slowly, and Rachel took a deep breath.

"Bruce, I get that you've changed." She began. "I see what Becky doesn't – that you're choosing consciously to be someone else, and we can't stop you."

Bruce winced internally. Rachel wasn't exactly wrong but she also wasn't right. And ironically, he had the feeling that if Alfred was right, it was Rebecca who had seen right through him - as usual.

"But, I want to ask that you please stop hurting my sister."

That snapped Bruce's full attention back on Rachel as the brunette woman continued sternly, "Just because you no longer want to be associated with us, for whatever rich, playboy, _jerk_ reason it is, you don't have to hurt my sister for it. We cared for you, she _still_ cares – and I do too, even though I don't want to. That's what being friends meant."

Bruce blinked, swallowing slightly, as Rachel finished, "So at the very least, man up, and if you're going to let her – and me – down, do it like a decent human being. Because if you hurt my sister like you did the other morning, Bruce, I swear I will come back here and kick your ass."

Bruce nodded slowly – though he did mentally appreciate the irony of Rachel's speech right after he'd made his decision to come clean with Rebecca -, and Rachel smiled without warmth.

"Here." She handed him a small package, wrapped up neatly in the store wrapping paper – a store that Bruce recognized.

"Happy birthday, Bruce." Rachel muttered, turning to go, and Bruce blurted out, "Rachel, wait-"

She paused, glancing back at him, but her phone rang before he could say any more.

*A/N Happy (late) Valentine's Day everyone!


	6. Arkham

"Excuse me." Rachel sighed to Bruce, before answering her cell. "Rachel Dawes."

Her expression changed instantly, and Rachel demanded, "Who authorized that?"

Her blue eyes – the same shade as Rebecca's - narrowed while Bruce watched her like a hawk as she barked into her phone, "Get Crane down there right now; do _not_ take no for an answer. Call Dr. Lehmann, tell him we'll need our own assessment on the judge's desk by morning."

Bruce was frowning outright now as he watched Rachel hang up angrily.

"What's wrong?" Bruce asked as soon as she had, but Rachel was already calling someone else.

"Hang on, Bruce." She apologized shortly, before saying into her cell, "Becky?"

Bruce stiffened instantly, but Rachel thankfully didn't notice, too busy saying to her sister in a sharp tone, "Listen, you said you would get that investigation clearance for Arkham Asylum by today right?"

Rebecca must've replied, because Rachel explained quickly, "Can you take me with you now? _Yes_ , now. It's Falcone; Dr. Crane moved him to Arkham on suicide watch. _Yes_ , again. But this time it's _Falcone_."

Her tone clearly said what she was thinking, what Rebecca apparently shared in thinking because the next second Rachel was saying, "Thanks, Becky. No, I can get there on my own, I caught a cab. Just meet me outside. See you in twenty."

She hung up once more, and Bruce interjected worriedly, "You're going to Arkham _now?_ "

Rachel didn't answer as she stuffed her phone back into her bag, and Bruce reminded warningly, "It's in the Narrows, Rachel; _and_ you're taking your sister?"

Rachel just looked up at him as she said flatly, "You enjoy your party, Bruce. _Some_ of us have work to do."

Bruce hesitated, but as Rachel turned to go he called after her, "Be careful, Rach. Tell that to Becky, too."

Rachel shot him a look of startled surprise, before her face softened just slightly and she nodded back at her old friend. She then climbed into the waiting cab, quickly giving the address and it took off once more down the drive.

Bruce used the time to open Rachel's present, eyeing the slim - and expensive – pen inside. It was the brand his father had used often when they were still children, and Bruce was both surprised and touched Rachel remembered.

A small note on top of the silky wrap that kept the pen safe read, 'To make up for the last eight years; happy birthday. Love, Rachel'

Bruce looked back up after Rachel, watching her disappear with a sigh. He knew Rachel was being genuine in her gift; but why did it feel like a bribe to take her words seriously about her sister?

' _Probably because you feel guilty._ ' A small voice in the back of his head pointed out.

But, he pushed the thought away for now – he had things to do. And besides, if you thought about it, he was taking Rachel's words to heart; he wasn't going to let Rebecca be hurt. Whether it was because of him, or anyone else.

The instant Rachel was out of sight, Bruce turned and hurried back up the stairs, his heart pounding as he strode into the deepest part of the mansion.

"But, Master Wayne," Alfred protested as he hurried after Bruce, "the guests will be arriving."

"Keep them happy until I arrive." Bruce answered shortly as he barely kept himself from running.

He turned to Alfred as he added, "Tell them that joke you know."

Patting the old butler's shoulder, Bruce turned and quickly headed into the room with the piano, playing the off-key notes to open the secret panel. He sped his way inside, heading down to the Batcave all while praying that he would get there before Rebecca – and Rachel, he added – could get hurt.

* * *

Rachel stood with narrowed eyes before the cell holding Falcone.

The man was clearly out of his mind, shaking and muttering the same word over and over again. 'Scarecrow.'

Rebecca was busy scaring the security away with her 'authoritative tone', having basically forced her and her sister's way into the Asylum with her badge. She didn't have a warrant for search, but Gordon had stepped in to help speed the processing of her authoritative power to at least get a pass into Arkham.

Technically, it didn't extend to include Rachel – but Arkham security didn't have to know that.

"Just go fetch Crane if you've got nothing better to do." Rebecca snapped at the guard who was insistent on hesitating between letting her take control and protesting her presence. "Tell him Detective Dawes and assistant DA Dawes are here."

The guard finally relented, leaving to fetch Crane after shooting one last anxious glance over his shoulder at the two sisters.

"Finally." Rebecca grumbled as she returned to her sister's side.

She turned her eyes on Falcone and she watched the man, noticing all the signs, and she muttered so only Rachel could hear her, "He's exactly like the other reports on Crane's patients."

"All of them?" Rachel checked, and Rebecca shook her head.

"We don't know." She explained. "That was mostly why I was pushing for the investigative approval even if I couldn't get a search warrant yet. There's not enough public information, but I'm certain that at the very least all of Falcone's men who ended up in Arkham came up with these symptoms."

She nodded where Falcone was twitching against his restraints, and Rachel's lips tightened further.

A noise down the hallway made them both glance to the side, and both sisters straightened as Dr. Jonathon Crane himself came hurrying down towards them.

"Miss Dawes." He greeted Rachel, before looking at Rebecca. "And Detective Dawes. We have never met."

"I would say it's a pleasure, doctor, but…" Rebecca let her sentence trail off meaningfully, and Crane's lips thinned slightly.

However, he maintained his composure as he said to Rachel politely, "This is most irregular, Miss Dawes. I have nothing to add to the report I filed with the judge."

"I have questions about your report." Rachel returned curtly, and Crane glanced at Rebecca as he asked, "Questions involving the police?"

"Perhaps." Rebecca answered for her sister. "Though I am leaning towards a positive, Dr. Crane."

She gestured to Falcone while Rachel noted with more than a hint of accusation in her tone, "Isn't it _convenient_ for a 52-year-old man, who has no history of mental illness, to suddenly have a complete psychotic breakdown just when he's about to indicted?"

"Well," Crane replied smoothly, "as you can see for yourself, there is nothing 'convenient' about his symptoms."

Rachel's eyes narrowed dangerously, when Rebecca suddenly commented, "What's 'Scarecrow'?"

"Patients suffering delusional episodes often focus their paranoia on an external tormentor - usually one conforming to Jungian archetypes." Crane answered without skipping a beat. "In this case," he waved vaguely towards Falcone, "a scarecrow."

"Mm, much like most of your other patients... right Dr. Crane?" Rebecca noted flatly as she turned to fix her blue eyes on Crane's brilliant but cold blue ones. "Or, at least, all of Falcone's men in your care."

Crane, to his credit, didn't even flinch as he remarked, "They are of similar backgrounds, so it is hardly surprising. Outside, they were giants; but in here, only the mind can grant you power."

Rachel's eyes scanned the man before her, and she noted, "You enjoy the reversal."

"I respect the mind's power over the body." Crane corrected as he looked back at the older Dawes sister. "It's why I do what I do."

"And I do what I do to put thugs like Falcone behind bars, not in therapy." Rebecca retorted flatly as she stared Crane down and his eyes flickered over to her briefly.

"And I do what I do to keep them there." Rachel added, before she nodded at her sister. They were done here.

Together, they left Crane, heading back down the hallway and Rachel added over her shoulder, "And I want my own psychiatric consultant to have full access to Falcone, including blood work. Find out what exactly you put him on."

The pair stopped by the elevator, and Crane joined them once more as he answered with a sigh, "First thing tomorrow, then."

"Tonight." Rebecca corrected as she pinned Crane with a stern look.

Crane looked at her incredulously, and Rachel explained with a smirk, "I've already paged Dr. Lehmann at County General."

And he would have full police escort, Rebecca added though only in her mind. She didn't quite trust Crane to rub that into his face just yet. There was something still very off about the whole deal, and she was determined she would dig to the bottom of things – which was also why she'd secretly informed Gordon to bring the entire force if she didn't call him back with results within the hour.

Of course, Crane didn't know this, and Rebecca watched him like a hawk as he got into the elevator with them, saying, "As you wish."

"What are you doing?" Rebecca asked suspiciously as Crane turned a security switch on the elevator panel before leading them down.

"There's something I think you should see." Crane answered smoothly, and Rebecca's eyes narrowed.

The elevator doors opened once more, and Crane led the way as he said, "This way, please."

Rebecca stepped up first, carefully placing herself in front of her sister as they followed Crane down a dubious looking corridor in the basements of Arkham Asylum.

He pushed open the doors at the end of the corridor, leading them out onto the highest level of some kind of underground lab. Rebecca and Rachel both stared down at the groups of scientists moving around below where they stood on a walkway, and Rebecca noticed the sharp looks they were receiving from a few of the workers.

She tensed while Crane explained calmly, "This is where we make the medicine."

It was at that moment that her eyes fell on something else, something distinctly strange and – if she had to bet – sinister. Rebecca watched a small group of workers in the corner of the room pouring something into an open water pipe, one that probably went around all of Gotham judging from the size.

She slowly took a step back, as Rachel clearly saw and felt the same thing - the same danger -, just as Crane commented casually, "Perhaps you should have some; clear your head."

"Run!" Rebecca ordered her sister, pushing Rachel back into the corridor while she drew her gun on Crane.

"Dr. Crane, I am placing you under arrest." Rebecca said sharply, but he just smirked as he answered, "Oh, Detective. You don't even know what you're up against yet."

He suddenly lifted a hand, spraying her in the face with some kind of gas that had been hidden inside his suit sleeve.

Rebecca coughed as her mind instantly went fuzzy, and she stared in alarm as a _bat_ appeared to worm its way out of Crane's mouth while he sneered, "Let's see how well you fight against your worst fears."

He knocked the gun out of her hand as Rebecca gasped and choked, and he placed his Scarecrow hood on his head as Rebecca's whole world spun around while bats started to fly out of every nook and corner.

Her rolling eyes caught sight of him, and Rebecca screamed as a bat crawled out of each of the dark eye holes while Scarecrow cackled, "Welcome to your worst nightmare."

He nodded for his henchmen to grab Rebecca, who knocked her head hard on the railings in her vain attempt to escape, before he himself went after the older Dawes sister, trapped inside the elevator that he'd locked to be immobile.

* * *

Rebecca slowly started to come back to consciousness after the hard blow to her head as she was dumped onto a metal operation table, while her sister was dropped, unconscious, on the table beside her.

Scarecrow appeared above her, the worn weaved bag still on his head as he demanded in a strange, raspy voice, "Who knows you're here?"

Rebecca shook her head, shying away from the bats that she saw crawling all over Scarecrow's face and coming out from his eyes, nose, and mouth courtesy of the fear gas.

Scarecrow just leant in closer as he shouted, "Who knows?!"

Rebecca screamed in response as, in her mind's eye, she saw a bat come leaping out of Scarecrow's mouth towards her; when suddenly the lights in the whole lab went out, leaving only the emergency lights.

Scarecrow swiftly pulled his mask off and looked towards the shadows on the outskirts of the basement while his thugs all looked around warily and Rebecca's head rolled on the table.

"He's here." Crane murmured, and one of his idiots asked, "Who?"

"The Batman." Crane answered, articulating the masked vigilante's 'name' with a hint of mocking.

"What do we do?" Another of his men asked as they all searched the shadows warily, and Crane answered with a small sigh, "What anyone does when a prowler comes around."

He smirked as he glanced at one of his men and he ordered softly, "Call the police."

"You want the cops _here_?" The thug repeated, frowning. "She's one of them, even they won't let that slide easy."

He nodded to Rebecca, but Crane pointed out, "At this point, _they_ can't stop us."

He spoke a little louder as he added mockingly, "But the _Batman_ has a talent for disruption."

He lowered his voice again as he ordered his men, "Force him outside, the police will take him down. Go."

"What about them?" The thug asked, nodding to Rebecca and Rachel.

"Well, this one doesn't have long." Crane replied carelessly as he glanced at Rebecca whose breathing was starting to stagger. "I gave her a concentrated dose – the mind can only take so much. I'll just give one more to her sister and we can get out of here. Go."

He waved two of his men ahead to call the cops while the rest of them cocked their guns. Crane turned, about to spray Rachel, when suddenly a dark-clad figure swooped down.

Crane moved back quickly, barely avoiding getting squashed, as the figure grabbed Rachel before sweeping back up into the shadows.

"Get him!" Crane shouted, quickly running for the stairs while his men all raced to the edges of the lab as well, their guns raised as they desperately tried to find the man hiding in the shadows.

One of them heard something drop right behind him and turned quickly, about to shoot, but the Batman was too fast. He yelled as his arm was caught and twisted back, his gun pointed uselessly to the side, and another of Crane's men whirled around at the sound.

The man gasped and aimed his own gun to shoot, but the Batman forced the thug in his arms to fire his gun at the other thug's foot. The man yelled in pain as he dropped to the floor, and Batman used the moment to punch the thug in his hold, knocking the man out.

The other thug got back up, furious, and aimed his gun, but Batman dove at him. Catching the man around his middle, he pulled them both up quickly back into the shadows while the thug yelled as he fired his gun uselessly into nothing before he was knocked out.

Crane turned, trying to find the Batman, but the man was fast and swift in his attacks. Before they could locate him, he had dropped down and taken out another couple thugs on one side of the lab before disappearing again, only drop down again moments later in a different part of the basement as he took out more men.

But Crane's men were dwindling, and Crane knew it was only a matter of time before Batman had to come near him. The Scarecrow quickly hid in the shadows near some stairs, his mask on to ensure he avoided inhaling the fear hallucinogens he sprayed around, and he watched the two men searching nearby.

Sure enough, Batman dropped down abruptly on the two thugs, taking one out almost instantly while the other whirled on him. Scarecrow waited until he had an opening, and as Batman swung to avoid the thug's backward kick, Scarecrow leapt to spray the vigilante once more.

Unfortunately, Batman had anticipated him, and he caught Scarecrow's wrist, holding the man in place as he knocked the thug out and to the ground. With no one else left, Batman whirled on Scarecrow, punching him in the stomach before whipping the man's mask off.

Crane glared at Batman as Batman grabbed Crane's hair with his free hand, pulling the doctor's head back and staring down into the man's face.

"Taste of your own medicine, doctor." Batman said scathingly, before he twisted Crane's arm up and pointed the gasser hidden in the man's sleeve right at Crane's face.

Batman released the hallucinogen, and Crane coughed as he breathed it in while Bruce remained unaffected thanks to the antidote Fox had given him.

Crane's eyes rolled slightly as he gagged and gasped, before he grunted as Batman hauled him up, grabbing him by the hair and under his chin and forcing the man to look him in the eyes as he demanded, "What have you been doing here?"

Crane's eyes widened in terror as his hallucinogen kicked in, but Batman remained firm as he demanded, "Crane. Who are you working for?"

For a moment, it looked like Crane wouldn't – or couldn't - answer, but he finally whispered out as he stared at Batman in utter fear, "Ra's… Ra's al Ghul.

*A/N I know, I'm a terrible person. It's been too long since I updated this, but I've had a bit of a writer's block in all my stories and I was a bit hesitant to upload this. However, I feel that I have made you precious readers wait far too long. Hopefully this chapter will be able to make up for my disappearance. Thank you to all of you who waited so patiently, and as always thanks to each and every one of you who read and reviewed!


	7. Fear

Bruce felt like he had been punched in the gut, but he showed none of that on his face as he replied flatly, "Ra's al Ghul is dead."

His hand tightened around Crane's chin as he repeated harshly, "Who are you really working for?"

Crane didn't reply at first, the fear and the gas getting to him, so Batman leaned in closer as he demanded, "Crane."

Crane stared back at Batman, his eyes looking strangely in focus all of a sudden as the man whispered, "Dr. Crane isn't here right now. But if you'd like to make an appointment…"

Batman frowned, but the sound of police sirens pulling up right outside the asylum finally made him look up.

Realizing his time was up – much faster than he would have thought; the police had to have been ready beforehand, Bruce realized – Batman smashed Crane's head into the stairwell, knocking the man out.

Moving quickly as he heard police officers shouting outside, Bruce leaned over Rebecca. She naturally screamed the instant she saw his face, and Bruce tensed, his anxiety only climbing as a loudspeaker called, "Batman, put down your weapons and surrender. You're surrounded."

Bruce ignored them as he picked Rebecca up, the woman struggling weakly against him even as she shuddered against the effects of the gas. With her so close, he could smell the faint familiar scent of vanilla around her, with a hint of coffee – that was new, but she probably lived off the stuff now as a cop compared to before.

But Bruce shoved those thoughts aside, far more concerned with how she appeared to be fighting to breathe as he carried her quickly towards the highest floors of the building. He laid her down before retrieving Rachel from one of the lower floors as well, laying the knocked-out brunette beside the gasping redhead before he tried to peer at Rebecca again.

"Rebecca?" He called quietly, but she barely seemed to hear him. "Becky, can you hear me?"

She glanced at him then, her eyes focusing and then unfocusing alarmingly, but as time went by she seemed to be recovering just slightly. Or perhaps it was the recovery before the more dangerous relapse.

Hearing movement below – though he detected only one pair of footsteps – Bruce took a chance to look down. His luck was with him, and Bruce quickly left Rebecca's side again to secure a grapple line onto the stair railing

"I'll be right back." He informed her, on the off chance she could hear and understand him, before he dropped down.

Gordon flinched in surprise as Batman suddenly grabbed him and pulled him up quickly onto the highest floor of the asylum, while the SWAT team converged on the building.

"Miss Dawes?" Gordon asked in surprise when Batman hauled him up over the railing and his eyes landed on Rachel, before his eyes caught sight of familiar red hair.

His eyes widened as Gordon gasped, "Becky!"

She barely registered him, groaning as she gasped out short breaths, and Gordon asked Batman, "What happened to her?"

"Crane poisoned her with a psychotropic hallucinogen – a panic-inducing toxin." Batman explained tightly, and Gordon answered instantly, "Let me get her down to the medics."

"They can't help her," Batman refuted, "but I can."

Gordon paused, looking straight at the other man as he weighed Batman's words. A bright searchlight turned on outside as the SWAT team moved into the building while others searched the outside for Batman.

Gordon glanced at the light before looking back at Batman as the masked man added, "There's something else."

Batman stared right back at Gordon as he revealed, "Crane's been smuggling his toxin hidden inside Falcone's drugs, and they're dumping it into the city's water supply."

Gordon gaped, before he asked weakly, "What was he planning?"

"I don't know." Batman admitted, and Gordon asked in alarm, "Was he working for Falcone?"

Batman paused, before he answered grimly while he pressed something on the bottom of his boot heel, "He mentioned someone else – someone worse."

Gordon stared at him, but Batman looked back down at Rebecca as her breathing continued to be laboured, and he said, "I need to get her the antidote before the damage becomes permanent."

"How long does she have?" Gordon asked, just as Rachel began to stir beside them.

"Not long." Batman answered shortly, and Gordon's jaw clenched. He couldn't lose Rebecca – he'd have to pray to whatever God there was that Batman was someone who could be trusted.

Sensing Gordon's – reluctant – acceptance, Batman ordered, "Get her downstairs. Meet me in the alley, on the Narrows side."

"What's going on?" Rachel murmured weakly as she opened her eyes.

Gordon was about to reply, when suddenly they all heard a strange flapping noise in the distance.

"What is that?" Gordon asked, puzzled, and Batman just gave him a look.

"Backup." The masked man replied.

With that, he left them, disappearing once more into the shadows, just as an entire swarm of bats descended on the entire building. Gordon gaped at the incredible sight, before he shook himself back into action as Rachel gasped.

"Wait, what's going on?" She demanded, and Gordon asked her quickly, "Can you walk?"

"What?" Rachel asked blankly, and Gordon repeated insistently as he reached to pick Rebecca up, "Can you walk?"

"I- yes, yes I can." Rachel replied and Gordon ordered as he heaved Rebecca up, "Then follow me."

He led the way quickly down the stairs, both him and Rachel having to duck low as they avoided the bats flying all around them. Rebecca cried out in fear, twisting into Gordon with a whimper as she saw bats coming out of bats, and Rachel asked fearfully over the din, "What's wrong with Becky?"

"She's been poisoned by Crane's fear toxin." Gordon replied, and Rachel sucked in a sharp breath.

"Is she going to be okay?" Rachel asked, terror gripping her in a way Crane's fear gas had failed to, and Gordon answered firmly, "She has to. Becky's a fighter, she'll make it."

Of course, at that moment Rebecca choked and started to convulse slightly in Gordon's arms.

"Becky!" Rachel cried, terrified for her sister's life, while Gordon's jaw clenched.

"Come on, Becky, come on, don't do this. Don't do this to me." He muttered as he finally made it back outside, slipping out through the side door and into the alley Batman had told him to go to.

"How is she?"

Rachel shrieked slightly as Batman appeared out of nowhere, but the man paid her no attention as he focused on Gordon and Rebecca in the officer's arms.

"She's fading." Gordon replied grimly as he handed Rebecca over to the Batman. "We gotta go."

Rachel trailed after Batman anxiously as the man turned and started to walk away with her sister while Gordon turned to watch the police officers panicking at the end of the alleyway, where they were all gathered on the larger street.

"I'll go get my car." Gordon stated, starting to move away, when Rachel demanded, "Where are you going with my sister? Hey, you can't just-"

"I'm saving her life." Batman returned, turning to face Rachel after he'd placed Rebecca gently inside his own vehicle, parked out of sight. "You'll have to trust me; she'll die if I don't get her the cure soon."

Rachel's eyes narrowed and her lips pursed but she nodded while Gordon gaped over at them. He'd expected them to need his car or at least go together. But now the vigilante was asking him – or rather, telling him - to risk his best junior detective's life by handing her over to an unknown man.

But if his words were true, Rebecca _needed_ to go with Batman. And they didn't have time.

"Fine…" Gordon began, before he trailed off as Batman had already disappeared inside his vehicle, switching it on.

And as the engines revved while the car/tank came to life, both Gordon and Rachel gaped in utter shock now that they could see the vehicle properly.

Batman didn't care about their surprise as he sped out of the alleyway, heedlessly driving _over_ a parked police car in his haste to get his _tank_ out onto the main street.

"I gotta get me one of those." Gordon murmured in awe, and Rachel shot him a look.

"My sister's in there." She argued, feeling fear creeping like ice up her spine as they watched the Batman's vehicle speed dangerously around a corner and out of sight. "And he's going to get her killed in that thing!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Bruce sped his way down the streets as he raced to lose the police chasing him before he could head back to the Manor. As Rebecca squirmed beside him, Bruce instructed in his Batman voice, "Stay calm."

"What…?" Rebecca asked weakly, and Bruce's heart leapt that at least she wasn't as bad as he'd initially thought when she'd had the fit earlier in Gordon's arms.

"You've been poisoned." Bruce explained helpfully, and Rebecca gasped, "Crane."

"Yeah. Hang on." Bruce answered as he abruptly swerved the car, spinning it around and losing one of the cars chasing him.

Unfortunately, he was quickly followed by another, and Bruce's jaw clenched when Rebecca moaned in a low voice, sounding strained. It seemed the gas's effect was taking time, causing Rebecca to regain her sanity briefly only to relapse worse each time she fell back into the toxin-induced hallucinations.

"Stay with me." Bruce instructed, before wincing when Rebecca glanced at him before she let out a tiny scream. Clearly, his mask and the effects of the fear gas were making her terrified of him.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Bruce tried to placate her as he sped down the streets, and Rebecca got out between gasps though she kept her eyes tightly shut, "You… said that… before."

"Breathe." Bruce instructed firmly. "And yes, I did. I meant it then and I mean it now."

"I know… you do." Rebecca breathed, before yelping as Bruce sped up before abruptly turning them down another street, crashing right through a shop window before he broke out on the other side of the road.

Her eyes snapped open again and she looked around wildly while Bruce finally managed to lose the police cars.

However, the SWAT team helicopter was still following him and Bruce swerved again sharply as he tried to shake off his tail so he could get Rebecca to the Batcave. Rebecca let out another whimper, shying away from the window where she apparently saw something in her mind.

Bruce had a feeling he knew exactly what she was seeing and he reassured even as he drove like a maniac, "It's not real; the bats can't hurt you."

Rebecca didn't answer, trying to keep steady breaths while she had _some_ control over her body.

Bruce frowned as a whole swarm of police cars started chasing him again, notified of his location thanks to the helicopter. He abruptly swerved, driving right through a parking boom and heading up the ramps.

"What are you doing?" Rebecca cried as she cowered in the darkness, seeing bats flashing everywhere each time the parking lights flashed by her window.

"Shortcut." Bruce answered as he focused on driving them as quickly as possible towards the roof of the parking garage, even as the police cars chased after them.

Bruce burst onto the roof, quickly backing up the Batmobile on one side of roof just as the helicopter arrived and shone a bright searchlight on the car while the police cars came speeding up onto the roof as well.

One of the cops got out of his car, calling loudly into the speakers as he faced the Batmobile, "Turn off your engine. Step away from the car."

"You're trapped." Rebecca got out as she struggled to breathe.

"Trust me, and just breathe." Bruce answered firmly as he pressed a few buttons, manipulating the tank.

"Weapons system activated." An automated voice announced inside the car, and Rebecca jumped in alarm.

"Wea-?" She began, looking over just as Batman leant forward and disappeared into something underneath the driving wheel.

"Oh, God…" Rebecca gasped, slamming her eyes shut and wishing fervently that this was all a dream. It was so crazy, it had to be a dream.

Bruce meanwhile lay across the activated Bat-pod, fine-tuning his aim through the Batmobile - before he fired small torpedoes at the rooftop barrier on the other side of the parking lot.

"Ah!" Rebecca screamed as the vehicle started forwards once more, speeding quickly towards the blown-up barrier. "I thought you hated guns!"

Bruce ignored her as he sped his way right off the rooftop parking and onto the roof of the building on the next block.

Rebecca slammed her eyes shut again, clutching the sides of her seat tightly as she tried to breath and not look outside where she could see her fears and the real chaos mingled into one blur in her mind. She barely held it together as she bounced on her seat while Bruce drove them quickly – and bumpily – along the roof, heedless of anything he ran into along the way, as he calculated his path.

Bruce swerved sharply again, losing the helicopter by cutting right across the roof of the nearby church, crushing the tiles as he did, before speeding the car up and across onto the nearest highway.

He sped down a highway, going into an underground tunnel to be completely sure the helicopter couldn't follow, while cop cars chased him now that he was back on the road. Bruce came back up into the driver's seat, to find Rebecca clutching her seat for dear life while her eyes were squeezed shut.

"Almost there." He tried to comfort as he went through closed barriers, a pillar, and the protective railings separating the two lines of traffic in an effort to lose the cops. "Keep breathing."

"Shut up, and drive." Rebecca gasped out, just as they were surrounded by police cars.

Bruce swerved the Batmobile sharply, spinning them around and quickly taking off through a gap between the incoming police cars. Now only chased by one line of cars, Bruce released a series of spiked balls onto the road behind him, causing the police car tires to pop. The cars swerved, out of control, and creating a jam while Bruce sped out onto the darkened highway on the other side of the tunnel.

Unfortunately, another few cars managed to follow him, while the helicopter found them again as it tailed them. But now, that they were on the outskirts of the city with almost no lights other than the headlights of their own cars.

Bruce quickly switched on the Batmobile's stealth mode, hitting his headlights and plunging them into darkness. Instantly, the helicopter and the police cars became confused, driving straight passed Bruce as he moved the Batmobile off the road and into the shadows.

Taking the cops' momentary confusion, Bruce quickly escaped into the darkness, taking them back to the Batcave without anyone noticing.

* * *

Rebecca finally succumbed to the fear gas and lost consciousness just before they reached the Batcave, driving Bruce into a panic that not even Crane and his fear toxin had been able to induce.

"Becky? Becky!" He called, and when she didn't respond, his heart almost stopped.

Terrified of losing her, he sped dangerously through the waterfall, screeching to an abrupt halt in the centre of the hidden cave. Before the car had even finished moving, Bruce had opened the top and launched himself into the air where he used his specially synthesized cape as wings to fly up to where the work desk was in the corner of the cave.

He hastily grabbed the container on the desk that Fox had left for him, quickly opening the case where he forced himself to remove one of the vials _carefully_ before swooping back down to the Batmobile.

Rebecca didn't move and she was deathly pale in the dim light as Bruce plunged the syringe into her arm before quickly pressing two fingers to her neck to check her pulse. He let out a shaky breath when he felt the faint but steady thump on her neck, physically sagging in relief as Rebecca's breathing came easier with each passing second.

Bruce leant back, taking a moment to catch his breath. He knew Alfred was probably going to be furious when he saw what happened with the police, but in that moment all Bruce could care to think was the same sentence over and over again in sheer relief.

 _'She's okay.'_

Thanking the heavens for letting him save her, Bruce leant down, picking her up as he made to move her onto a table where she could rest a little easier.

"You couldn't make things easier for me, Becky." He muttered as he carried her. "You just had to be a good cop."

She sighed a little as he laid her carefully down on the table, her head tilting slightly as his hand left her shoulders as though she were following his presence. Knowing she wouldn't be out for too long on just the antidote, Bruce fetched the other vials from the container. He then returned to Rebecca's side where he sat back and monitored her progress as he waited patiently for her to wake up.


	8. Why we Fall

Rebecca slowly regained consciousness; blinking her eyes blearily, she tried to remember where she was as her eyes adjusted to the dark cave she'd woken up in. IT was no easy task however, for her head was pounding as though someone was continuously hammering at it.

She flinched when something moved in the darkness above, the small screeches and soft sound of flapping wings telling her what the creature had to be even though she couldn't see it.

"Not more bats." Rebecca whimpered, before she jumped as a gloved hand brushed against hers.

"They won't hurt you."

Rebecca's eyes snapped over to the man standing by her head, his dark eyes behind his mask full of relief and glittering with a hint of amusement as he stared down at her.

"It's not funny." Rebecca muttered as she glanced around the cave, now noticing the Batmobile parked in the middle while several large computers and other equipment she didn't even try to identify lined the edges of the cave.

"Where are we?" Rebecca asked, and Batman replied shortly in his disguised voice, "Somewhere safe."

Rebecca glanced at him, and he could see her hesitating – he could see it in her eyes that she was debating asking him. Bruce steeled himself, waiting with a hammering heart as the tension continued to spike with every passing second.

"Did you catch Crane?" Rebecca asked at last, instead, and Bruce deflated.

Though, he supposed he understood her hesitance; if he knew her (which he was sure he did) she was probably waiting to ask him as Bruce - when she could see his entire face and gather the truth from his expression.

"Gordon has Crane." Batman informed Rebecca slowly.

She nodded, murmuring absently, "Good. At least he didn't get away after I fell for his stupid trap."

Rebecca placed her head in her hand, leaning on her knee.

"I feel terrible enough without feeling responsible if he'd escaped because I missed the textbook cues. He was so obvious, looking back now - if I had been that stupid in the police academy, I would have failed for sure."

"It can happen to everyone." Bruce reassured, and Rebecca snorted, "Thank you. But it's no excuse for failing as badly as I did back there."

"Why do we fall?" Bruce returned, seeing an opening and taking it quickly before he could lose his nerve.

The reaction he got was instantaneous.

Rebecca's head snapped back towards him, her blue eyes wide with shock as she asked, "What?"

Bruce took a deep breath, before repeating, this time in his regular voice, "Why do we fall?"

Rebecca stared at him as she sat up slowly, keeping her eyes locked on his.

"So we can learn to pick ourselves up." She whispered, her voice carrying easily in the deathly silent cave.

Bruce nodded, lowering his eyes slightly as he found it awkward now to meet Rebecca's piercing gaze.

Rebecca stared at him, slowly letting it sink in. Bruce really was Batman. And he had come forward with the truth before she'd even needed to question him. He was showing a sign of his trust in her. He-

"Oh." Rebecca groaned, dropping her face into her hands.

"Becky?" Bruce asked, confused, and she accused, "Alfred told you I'd guessed your secret, didn't he?"

Bruce paused for a moment, startled by her sudden question, before looking sheepish even behind the mask as he admitted, "He did, yes."

"Nothing gets passed him." Rebecca muttered. "And it explains why you're coming clean now, after being a complete jerk the other day."

Rebecca sighed again.

"I mean, it makes sense, if you think about it from the perspective of an immature brat like you."

"Couldn't we just say I matured, now that I'm thirty?" Bruce inquired dryly, and Rebecca shot him an amused look.

"You'll _never_ be mature, Bruce." She said fondly, reaching over to tug on his hand to pull him closer. "But I am glad you've decided to be honest with me."

"And I'm sorry for what I said the other day." Bruce apologized. "I just-"

"-Wanted me to be safe?" Rebecca asked flatly, and Bruce nodded.

"Yeah." He said sheepishly, bracing himself for a punch. He knew Rebecca, and he knew she would _not_ be happy with the way he'd handled his concern for her. And an unhappy Rebecca could also often a violent one - and rumour was she hadn't been the best in the police academy for just her examination grades.

But the punch never came as Rebecca instead patted his cheek – over the cowl – as she said with a slight sigh, "You worry too much."

"Well, you worry too little about your own safety sometimes." Bruce commented, and Rebecca looked him up and down pointedly.

"I don't want to hear that from someone who goes up against powerful criminals single-handedly every other night." She noted. "You're not the only one who should stand up against them."

"I'm trained in physical combat, and wearing a Kevlar suit." Bruce countered, and Rebecca shot back, "And I'm trained as a police officer and armed, even if you don't like it. And, speaking of the suit, can you take the mask off?"

She gestured at it as she admitted, "It feels… kind of strange to be talking to you with it on. Especially since you apparently use that voice with the mask."

Bruce started, only realizing then that he'd accidentally slipped back into his gravelly Batman voice while arguing with Rebecca.

Bruce hesitated for only a moment before he removed the mask, unconsciously turning his neck and stretching it as he did to work the stiffness out. His brown hair swung into his face as it fell free of the cowl, and Rebecca reached up to push his hair back for him, staring up at him with those familiar bright blue eyes as she took in his face.

"What?" Bruce asked uncomfortably, very aware of the black paint around his eyes that probably made him look like a panda.

It was necessary to ensure full coverage of the skin around his eyes when he had the mask on, but he felt rather awkward with it on as Rebecca stared at him intently.

"Just taking it all in." Rebecca answered quietly as she let her hand move down from his hair to his face before dropping it back onto her lap. "I thought I'd lost my best friend for a while there – but, now I see he's still there."

"I really am sorry about what I said." Bruce said quietly. "I know I hurt you."

"Yeah, and I _was_ going to punch you." Rebecca admitted as she looked up at him. "But, since you did save my life - twice - I've decided we can be even on that front."

"You didn't have qualms about hitting my face the other day." Bruce pointed out – apparently he was still a little sore on that, even though he knew he'd deserved it.

"You deserved that." Rebecca had no problem reminding him.

She then patted his face again as she added lightly, "And besides, wouldn't want to ruin Bruce Wayne's face for his birthday party."

Bruce chuckled, before he sighed. She'd reminded him that they didn't have much time.

"I have to get going – I need to kick my 'guests' out quickly." Bruce muttered, and Rachel frowned.

"Can you do that?" She asked, and he answered with a shrug, "Why can't I?"

"You're Bruce Wayne." She pointed out. "You have an image to uphold."

"The city is more important." Bruce answered, and Rebecca remembered what she had seen in Arkham.

"Crane was putting something in the city water supply." She murmured, and Bruce nodded.

"It's the fear hallucinogen, I'm sure of it. I just have to figure out how he's going to do whatever he's doing." Bruce admitted.

"I thought you said he was caught?" Rebecca frowned, and Bruce explained, "Crane was just a pawn; there's someone else. Someone worse."

Rebecca's eyes were steely, going into her police detective mode as she said, "And that also means Gordon's going to need me there right now."

Bruce nodded, though he wasn't exactly happy. But he also needed her to take something to Gordon, so as Rebecca moved to get off the table, he informed her, "I need you to take this to Gordon."

He showed her the extra two vials Fox had given him, and she took them along with the injection he offered carefully as he ordered, "One is for Gordon to inoculate himself, and the other is for mass production."

"What about you?" Rebecca asked, glancing up at him, and Bruce admitted, "I already took one – I was poisoned the other day."

"And that's why Alfred didn't let me see you this morning." Rebecca realized, and Bruce nodded.

He moved across the cave to get out of the rest of his suit as the time pressure slowly started to hit him, and Rebecca watched him with worried eyes – though she adverted her gaze when he removed his pants.

"You _will_ be careful, won't you? When you come back out as Batman?" Rebecca asked as Bruce stripped off the Batman suit and started getting dressed in a smart black suit for his 'party'.

"I'll be as careful as a certain police detective in Gotham City will be." Bruce answered dryly as he quickly finished pulling on his suit pants.

"Touché." Rebecca admitted, looking over again when she heard him zip up his trousers. "But listen to this as a request from an old friend."

She wandered over to his side and said, just as he pulled on his shirt, " _Be careful_."

She looked at him worriedly as she stood in front of him, and Bruce smiled a little.

"For Becky Dawes?" He asked, and she nodded.

"Then always." Bruce promised, and Rebecca smiled widely.

Bruce answered it faintly, and Rebecca started buttoning up his shirt for him while he tackled the mission that was buttoning up his cuffs. Standing so close, she could smell the distinct scent of aftershave and pine, which was unusual but nice and even calming. Rebecca sighed to herself - Rachel was right. She'd been deluding herself when she said she no longer loved Bruce as more than a friend. But even knowing Bruce's secret didn't seem to bring him closer to her; in some ways, he felt even further away than he had before.

"I'll send Alfred down to drive you home first." Bruce went on, unaware of her thoughts as he looked down at Rebecca while she finished buttoning his top collar. "Rachel probably has your car there and you can take it to get to Gordon."

He nodded his thanks as Rebecca finished smoothing his collar, and she nodded back before she leant up and kissed Bruce's cheek.

"I never got to say - happy birthday, Bruce." She murmured, before leaning back.

"I guess I'll see you later, Batman."

Bruce cracked a smile at Rebecca's terrible attempt at levity. He hesitantly brushed his hand over Rebecca's cheek, running the back of his hand gently against her smooth skin. He seemed to be trying to decide whether to say something more; but in the end, he dropped his hand once more, turned, and left the Batcave.

Rebecca watched him go, feeling a small pang of disappointment as he left just like that. But she quickly shook the feeling off and placed a small, friendly smile on her face while waving at Bruce as he entered the lift back up into his mansion.

Bruce gave her a small smile back and though he didn't return her wave, his eyes never left hers as he disappeared up and out of the cave.

* * *

Bruce had just finished tucking his shirt into his pants when he arrived back inside the office with the piano inside the Manor.

He grimaced slightly when he saw Alfred waiting, the butler looking _very_ unhappy; but Bruce tried to ignore the looks Alfred was giving him as he pulled his suspenders up onto his shoulders.

Alfred, however, was not going to be ignored, and the old butler began severely, "When you told me your grand plan for saving Gotham, the only thing that stopped me from calling the men in white coats was when you said that it wasn't about thrill seeking."

"It's not." Bruce replied shortly, and if he admitted a little defensively, as he pulled his bowtie around his neck.

"What would you call that, then?" Alfred snapped sternly, pointing at the TV screen in the corner of the room.

Bruce glanced over to see the evening news, showing the rampage Batman had created in the Batmobile as police cars chased him around downtown Gotham.

"Damn good television." Bruce quipped as he refocused on shrugging on his suit jacket.

Alfred – ever the good butler – helped him with his outfit, even as the British gentleman scolded angrily, "It's a miracle no-one was killed!"

"I didn't have time to observe the rules of the road, Alfred." Bruce shot back, and Alfred muttered, "You're getting lost inside this monster of yours."

"I'm using this 'monster' to help other people, just like my father did." Bruce countered as he started working on his bowtie.

But Alfred snapped sharply, "For Thomas Wayne, helping others wasn't about proving anything to anyone, including himself."

Bruce finally lost his own temper and he turned to look Alfred in the eye as he said heatedly, "It was _Becky_ , Alfred. She was dying."

Alfred pursed his lips, and Bruce added in a softer, more defeated tone, "She's waiting downstairs – and she knows the truth. All of it. But I need you to take her home so no-one gets suspicious of her leaving here."

With that, Bruce turned to start heading downstairs; when Alfred spoke up again warningly, "Well, we both care for Miss Dawes, sir, but what _you're_ doing has to be beyond that."

Bruce turned back to Alfred sharply as he snapped, "You _wanted_ me to include her from the beginning."

"Because you love her, sir." Alfred countered sternly. "And I believe she will be good for you. But when you are 'the Batman', it can't be personal – otherwise you're just a vigilante."

Bruce's jaw clenched, but he kept his tone even as he asked abruptly, "Is Fox still here?"

"Yes, sir." Alfred confirmed, and Bruce said shortly, "We need to send these people away, now."

"Those are Bruce Wayne's guests out there, sir." Alfred called after him sharply as Bruce made to go again. "You have a _name_ to maintain."

"I don't _care_ about my name." Bruce snapped, turning back to face Alfred angrily, but the old butler was just as angry as he retorted, "It's not just _your_ name, sir. It's your _father's_ name."

Bruce stopped dead at that, while Alfred continued with suspiciously bright eyes, "And it's all that's left of him."

He paused, taking a shaky breath, before he added quietly, pleadingly-

"Don't destroy it."

The old butler turned, his shoulders heavy as he started down towards the Batcave to fetch Rebecca while Bruce stared after him for a moment.

Alfred's words had hit him right where it hurt, where it would wedge itself like a knife and continue to twist if Bruce didn't heed his words. But at the same time, there was the city - what if something happened while Bruce was playing the part he was required to play outside? What if Rebecca was hurt or worse because Bruce was drinking champagne while talking about meaningless things with the so-called rich and powerful?

Bruce sighed. He knew what he had to do; he had known the burdens he would have to shoulder when he'd chosen his path.

With a heavy heart, Bruce turned and made his own way downstairs towards his guests, wishing he could at least have Rebecca at his side to help him get through what was sure to be a painful night.


	9. Ra's al Ghul

"Thanks, Alfred." Rebecca said as the old butler dropped her off inconspicuously at the street corner by her house.

"It was a pleasure, Miss Dawes." Alfred answered politely, starting to make his way back to the Wayne Manor, when Rebecca said, "Wait."

Alfred paused, looking out the passenger window where Rebecca was peering in at him anxiously as she asked, "Will Bruce be all right?"

Yes. No. Alfred wasn't sure, and he didn't know how to answer her question. He knew why she was asking, after all – Rebecca was quite sharp and intuitive, traits that made her a good detective, and Alfred knew she'd picked up on his tension.

"I don't know, Miss Dawes." Alfred answered at last, looking back at Rachel with old, blue eyes. "He has created… quite a monster."

Rebecca nodded, but she added softly, "I don't think it hurts to remind him of that sometimes – but I also think he needs to be told that we're proud of him for what he's doing."

She gave him a meaningful look before she stepped back, waving at Alfred as he gave her a surprised look. Rebecca hurried down the dark streets towards her home, while Alfred watched her go thoughtfully.

He knew she was right. He didn't regret scolding Bruce because the younger man needed to be reminded of exactly what he'd signed up for when he chose to don the Batman's mask. But, he _was_ also proud of Bruce for what he was doing in saving the people of Gotham, in acting instead of just standing by and watching.

Alfred sighed as he started the car back down the streets. When he got home, and after all Bruce's guests left for the night, he would tell Bruce that as well. After all, despite already thirty years having passed since the young master's birth, Alfred knew his charge was just a young boy at heart, who needed to be reprimanded for doing wrong and also reassured when he was doing right.

* * *

Rebecca meanwhile dashed to her home, knocking loudly on the door to get her sister's attention.

"Rachel? Rachel!" She called, and the door quickly swung open as Rachel stared at her younger sister in shock and utter relief.

"Becky!"

Rachel hugged Rebecca, holding her tightly as she blabbered, "I was so worried, are you okay? Are you hurt? Did he do anything? How's your head? What-"

"Rach." Rebecca interrupted, cutting off her sister urgently. "I'm glad to see you too, but I have to get to Sergeant Gordon."

"Working already?" Rachel asked, making a slight face even as she grabbed Rebecca's handbag and the car keys. "You are definitely back to yourself, Becky."

"Thanks." Rebecca answered as she took her bag and the keys gratefully. "Also, Rachel, do me a favour and try not to go outside, at least tonight."

"Why?" Rachel asked, frowning, and Rebecca admitted, "Batman warned there might be something – something big. It could be nothing, but I don't want to risk you getting poisoned as well."

"What about you?" Rachel asked, concerned, but Rebecca smiled as she answered, "I got inoculated, so I'll be fine."

"Promise?" Rachel countered, her eyes narrowed, and Rebecca laughed.

"I promise to be careful." She replied, and Rachel shrugged.

"Good enough." She muttered, staying to watch her younger sister with concerned eyes as the redhead ran with a wave towards their car.

Rebecca nodded at her sister as she started the car and took off, heading for the Narrows as she pulled out her phone.

"Gordon?" She asked when the man picked up.

"Becky?!" He asked, his voice instantly becoming alert. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." Rebecca confirmed. "I just got back, but I have something I have to give you. Where are you?"

"I'm at Arkham." Gordon answered. "Crane gave us nothing."

"Where's Crane?" Rebecca asked as she made her way to Arkham.

"At the station." Gordon answered with a sigh. "I'm trying to see if I can't find anything here; maybe notes or clues as to what the hell he could do with dumping a hallucinogen, that needs to be inhaled to work, into water."

"Yeah, I heard about it; and it is odd." Rebecca agreed. "It just doesn't make any sense, though I'm hoping our new friend will figure something out."

"How was he, anyway?" Gordon asked curiously. "I'll admit, I was a little hesitant in handing you over to his mercy."

"He cured me, didn't he?" Rebecca answered, not giving anything about Bruce away. If he didn't want Gordon to know, she certainly wasn't going to spill it. It was safer anyway, and she doubted Gordon really cared to know who was behind the mask as long as the man could be trusted to do the right thing.

"Anyway, I'll tell you about it in person. I'm almost there, so-"

Rebecca was cut off as Gordon said suddenly, "Shit!"

"What is it?" Rebecca asked sharply, and Gordon answered, "Someone just blew a hole in the wall here!"

"WHAT?!" Rebecca demanded, and then she saw them.

"They're all out on the streets, sir!" Rebecca reported sharply as she saw people in pink jumpsuits running out into the Narrows.

"Dawes, I need you to stop them!" Gordon ordered, shifting into Sergeant mode but she answered grimly, "Negative, sir, I need to get this antidote to you immediately. If Scarecrow and whoever's controlling this whole thing has let Arkham's inmates out, I have a feeling you're going to want these."

"Then get down here quickly, Dawes." Gordon barked. "I'll send word for all the bridges to be raised, we cannot afford to have these men get off the island."

"Affirmative, sir." Rebecca answered, and Gordon hung up.

Rebecca stepped on the gas, speeding her way through the Narrows, heedless of people and cars. Given it was police business, she wouldn't get in trouble for speeding and not many people were stupid enough to try and get in the way of a madly speeding car. She did accidentally hit one of the escaped Arkham inmates in the arm as she sped by after the man tried to lift it to stop her car – probably trying to mug or rape her when she stopped, which is what a normal citizen might have done.

As it was, she couldn't say she was quite sorry when she zoomed on, hearing the man screaming in a rage after her as he cradled his broken arm.

* * *

 _Meanwhile, across town_

Alfred returned, horrified, to find the Wayne Manor completely on fire.

He'd seen the guest cars driving away – as it had forced him to take a discrete path back to the Manor – and he now realized why they had all been leaving so early. Bruce must have sent them away when he became aware of whatever danger had caused the fire, but Alfred hadn't heard a word from the young master.

And that could only mean one thing.

Parking the car in the darkness near one of the side doors to the mansion, Alfred headed quickly towards the burning Manor. He grabbed a golf club from the set that had been in the back of the car as he did, holding it up before him at the ready as he snuck up on the man guarding the entrance to make sure no-one – probably Bruce – escaped.

Using all his former training as a Special Air Services officer, Alfred managed to sneak up behind the man before he clobbered the man hard over the head. The man crumpled instantly, knocked instantly unconscious, and Alfred glanced down.

"I hope you're not a member of the fire brigade." He muttered as he stepped over the body and quickly through the flames into the burning Manor.

He headed instantly for the ballroom, figuring that would be a good place to start looking for Bruce - only to find Bruce in the entry hall right outside the ballroom doors, a collapsed beam lying across the man's chest.

"Master Wayne!" Alfred cried in relief and concern as Bruce didn't move. "Master Wayne!"

Bruce finally stirred, coming back to consciousness at Alfred's calls while the butler tried to lift the heavy log off the younger man. As Bruce came to and realized the predicament, he too grunted as he tried to heave the beam off his chest though he barely managed to make it move in his dazed state.

"What is the point of all those pushups if you can't even lift a bloody log?" Alfred finally demanded, torn between irritation and fear for Bruce's life.

At that, Bruce finally snapped back to full consciousness, and with a scowl in Alfred's direction, the young man finally shoved the log completely off his body.

Alfred quickly helped Bruce up, letting the younger man lean on him as Bruce recovered from the blow the log had caused when it had fallen on him, and from inhaling all the smoke as the Manor continued to burn and crumble around them. Together, they hurried through the flames, avoiding falling debris as Alfred led the way to the piano room.

Quickly playing the keys to open the secret doorway, Alfred basically shoved Bruce through as the bookcase slide open to reveal the lift that led down to the Batcave.

As they escaped the burning house, barely avoiding being singed themselves as the piano room finally collapsed and burnt down, both Bruce and Alfred looked up in mute horror and despair, knowing the house Bruce's family had built eight generations ago was gone.

When the lift finally reached the Batcave with a clang, Bruce gasped out as he stared up at the fire still licking the wooden house above, "What have I done, Alfred? Everything my family… my father built…"

He was going into shock, the depression of realizing Ra's al Ghul's true identity and knowing _he_ had saved the man getting to him. Having to watch the man burn his family's home was just icing on the very twisted and destructive cake.

Alfred didn't reply at first as he quickly checked Bruce, coming upon a deep wound in the younger man's side.

As he examined the bloodied area, Alfred said to Bruce quietly but firmly, "The Wayne legacy is more than bricks and mortar, sir."

"I wanted to save Gotham." Bruce whispered as he continued to stare up at where his home was being burnt down to the ground. "I failed."

At that, Alfred looked up and he asked with a small smile, "Why do we fall, sir?"

Bruce looked at Alfred in shock, and Alfred reminded him kindly, "So that we can learn-"

"-To pick ourselves up." Bruce finished with Alfred, a small grateful smile appearing on his face as well.

Alfred nodded, and Bruce murmured with repressed tears, looking like the little boy Alfred had raised, "You still haven't given up on me?"

Alfred smiled as he answered firmly, "Never."

He turned back to the wound on Bruce's side as he added, "And Miss Dawes hasn't either, sir."

Bruce chuckled at that as he let his head fall back slightly, getting his breath and his determination back.

"It's not who we are underneath, but what we do that defines us." Bruce murmured, and Alfred nodded as he agreed, "Yes, indeed sir."

"Becky said that to me when she was twelve." Bruce revealed, and Alfred chuckled as he moved to get some medication and bandages, "Well, sir, she _is_ a very wise young woman."

"Too good for someone like me?" Bruce joked, and Alfred tossed back, "Possibly, sir, but I would never suggest such a thing myself."

Bruce snorted, before his eyes steeled with determination. He would do what was right. And now that he knew exactly what he was up against, knew Ra's plan, Bruce resolved not to fail again.

He would do what needed to be done to be someone who could protect Gotham; someone whom Rebecca could stand confidently beside; and someone whom his parents would be proud of.

* * *

Rebecca reached Gordon just as he was about to rush out after the escaped Arkham inmates, the Sergeant leading his men into action despite the reservation of some like Flass.

"Sir!" Rebecca called, and he turned to meet her.

"Dawes!" He said in relief, and Rebecca quickly moved him to a somewhat quieter spot as Gordon waved his men ahead to start catching the Arkham prisoners.

"Here." Rebecca said urgently, pulling out the two vials and the injection Bruce had given her. "Our friend sent this – one for you, just in case, and the other for mass production. I figured it would be easier for you to get the approval to get that mass produced than a low-ranking officer like me."

"Yeah, well, we won't be able to get it mass produced for a while." Gordon sighed as he gestured around at the chaos the Arkham prisoners and the police officers were starting to create. "They're also going to raise the bridges soon, which means none of us can get off the island."

"Well, at least you'll be safe." Rebecca answered grimly as she glanced about.

"Unless they can somehow get that toxin into the air, we'll all be fine." Gordon shrugged, but Rebecca said seriously, "I'm worried they have a plan – our friend mentioned someone else pulling the strings. The Arkham escape seems incredibly coincidental."

"Well, let's hope our friend figures it out and helps us soon." Gordon grimaced before looking over as more police cars came wailing down the streets. "All right, backups coming."

"Backup?" Rebecca repeated, confused, and Gordon explained flatly, "Flass called every squad on the force to come in to help with the cleanup."

"Detective Flass did?" Rebecca asked, frowning. That didn't sound right at all.

"Not my call, but too late now anyway." Gordon replied grimly, though he clearly agreed with her. "Either way, we've got to do what we can with what we've got."

"Yes, sir." Rebecca answered, and Gordon pointed as he said, "You take right, and take this squad over here."

He nodded at the latest police arrivals while he added, "I'm going to head after Flass. I don't like the idea of leaving him alone."

"Agreed, sir." Rebecca answered.

"Go." Gordon ordered, and Rebecca hurried off as Gordon yelled to the squad to follow her.

They moved swiftly, following orders as they ran with Rebecca down the streets where they tried to cuff the escaped prisoners without anyone getting hurt. Some of the officers moved to create perimeters around the scenes as Rebecca led the others into taking down prisoner after prisoner, but the situation was quickly becoming out of control.

With the Arkham prisoners fighting tooth and nail against being caught, the police officers were starting to get more and more violent, enraging the Narrows residents.

As Rebecca firmly disarmed one of the prisoners and twisted his arm back so she could cuff him, two other officers coming in to help her, another officer tackled a nearby prisoner bodily, throwing the man to the ground as he fought to cuff and detain the man.

"Harassment! I see harassment!" One of the Narrows residents yelled from the perimeter the other cops were enforcing by pushing the crowd physically back.

"Please sir, keep your distance." Rebecca warned as she handed the prisoner over to one of the officers.

"You're assaulting them!" The man shouted, but Rebecca stayed firm as she said in her authoritative voice, "Sir, we are doing our best to keep everyone – including the inmates – safe. Now please, keep a safe distance."

"You're a police officer, you don't care!" The man snapped back, and Rebecca said sharply, "Please stay back, sir, or I _will_ have to forcibly remove you from the scene before anyone can get hurt-"

A gunshot sounded, causing everyone around them to scream and flinch back, including the man. Rebecca whirled around to see one of the prisoners had grabbed a police gun in his effort to get free and had fired it at the officer holding him. It missed, thankfully, and Rebecca leapt to restrain the man while another officer wrestled the gun away from the inmate.

"Get him locked and secured!" Rebecca shouted as she drew the prisoner's arms forcefully back, holding the man in place as one of the other officers brought a straight jacket.

When the man was safely secured and taken to be held in a police car, Rebecca turned. She spotted the man who'd been shouting at her now watching them silently, and she turned away again.

"You men, search the next street." Rebecca ordered. "You lot, come with me down this side."

They split, going down separate streets as they moved to round up as many of the inmates as they could. Rebecca paused as she spotted a child, a blonde little boy of about eight years old, being pushed back by a SWAT officer near a relatively deserted street corner.

"You lot go ahead, I'll be after you in a minute." She told the officers as she hurried to help the child, while the rest of the SWAT team ignored the boy as they huddled around their van.

"What's the problem, sweetie?" She asked as she took the boy into her arms, while glancing around quickly to take in the situation. What was the SWAT team even doing here?

Her eyes narrowed when the officer nearest her turned to look at her with a menacing glare, clearly telling her to back off, while the boy whimpered, "I can't find my mom."

Rebecca just nodded, while she eyed the SWAT team nearby as she slowly moved the boy behind her. The officer near her had turned to face her now, his hand going for his gun and Rebecca's jaw clenched in fearful anticipation.


	10. Panic

Before the officer/thug could get his gun, however, the back of the van opened and a tall, somewhat older gentleman stepped out as he called, "Gentlemen."

The man who'd been reaching for his gun glanced away from Rebecca and to the mysterious man as the man announced, "Time to spread the word."

A strange, cannon-shaped machine was brought out behind the man and Rebecca's eyes widened as she abruptly realized this man had to be one of the ones working with Crane.

She quickly pulled the boy fully behind her while her hand shot to her own gun, holstered inside her jacket, but the man spotted her and he seemed almost amused as he said, "And the word is-"

He pressed the machine, letting out some kind of wave, while he finished smugly while staring right at Rebecca, "Panic."

Instantly, every manhole in the city blew up as the wave somehow triggered the fear hallucinogen mixed into the city's water supply, and the gas started to flood the streets from every opening. Almost as quickly, people started screaming and crying out in absolute terror, while Rebecca dropped into a crouch as she pulled the boy into her embrace, doing her best to shield him from direct contact with the gas as she held him close to her chest.

"Stop!" Rebecca ordered the mysterious man, coughing as the gas thickened into a fog, but he just smirked at her as he pulled on a gasmask, his team doing the same.

"Try to make me." The man informed her as he walked away into the fog, his men following while Rebecca coughed.

She fired once towards the man's feet, but he dodged – what kind of skills did this guy have? – as he continued to walk away without even looking back at her and his men followed.

Clearly, he thought she was going to hallucinate soon, unaware she'd been inoculated. Unfortunately, Rebecca couldn't follow the man without leaving the boy, who was already starting to gasp as he started to breathe in the toxic gas.

"Hang on, kid, just hang on." Rebecca murmured desperately as she pulled the boy into her arms, starting to move somewhere where the fog wasn't as thick and she could actually see more than a foot in front of her.

She was also desperate to get the boy off the streets, where she could hear people screaming as they turned on each other, driven mad by the toxin and thinking they were facing their worst fears instead of other human beings.

* * *

Meanwhile, Gordon managed to jab the antidote Rebecca had given him into his leg right before he inhaled more than one gulp of the gas.

He almost wished what he was seeing _was_ a hallucination as he saw people tearing at each other while others ran about screaming, panicking, if they weren't already curled into convulsing balls on the ground. He spotted Flass about to fire his gun on two innocents, the man clearly also out of it, and Gordon quickly smashed his fist into the man's head.

Flass collapsed, unconscious, and Gordon took some grim satisfaction in cuffing the man onto a nearby steel support beam that ran under the train system that ran through the centre of the whole island.

"-Commissioner Loeb!"

Gordon looked over towards the nearest cop patrol car where the walkie-talkie was blaring as Loeb yelled into it. "Come in. Somebody talk to me. Come on!"

Gordon quickly took the walkie-talkie as he yelled back urgently, "Loeb, go! This is Gordon."

"What the hell is going on in there?" Loeb demanded, and Gordon answered frantically, "We need reinforcements! TAC teams, SWAT, riot cops-!"

"Woah, woah, Gordon!" Loeb interrupted grimly. "All the city's riot police are on the island with _you_."

"Well, they're completely incapacitated!" Gordon snapped back.

He couldn't see anyone but chaotic people, who were no help, and people knocked out on the ground, who were useless. He couldn't even see Rebecca, whom he assumed was the only sane person left along with him on the entire island.

* * *

Rebecca tried to keep the boy calm as she moved them desperately towards the corner of the street, avoiding any people she happened to spy moving in the fog.

The young boy was gasping and starting to hyperventilate in her arms, and Rebecca shushed, "It's okay, just hang on. It's okay."

The boy clung to her like she was his rock – which she probably was for his sanity at the moment – while Rebecca tried to keep him as calm as possible as his eyes darted around fearfully. She didn't blame him – even if he hadn't been drugged, the noises around them were absolutely horrific though Rebecca didn't let anything get close enough for her to actually see anything gruesome.

She could also hear a strange clopping sound, as though a horse was riding closer, and Rebecca looked around warily as she soothed the boy, "It's okay."

He cried out, and Rebecca shushed as calmly as she could, "No-one's going to hurt you-"

At that moment, she heard the distinct sound of a horse charging towards her, and Rebecca turned in time to see the familiar scarecrow mask on the rider's head as Scarecrow rasped through the filter inside his mask, "Of course they are!"

"Crane?!" Rebecca gasped as she stared up at the guy – he was supposed to be in the holding cell at the police station. Then again, someone had managed to organize an entire Arkham breakout – it probably wasn't too hard to get Crane out.

The man pulled the reins on his horse as he stopped before Rebecca, peering down at her to taunt, "No – Scarecrow!"

He reared his horse up then, and Rebecca quickly grabbed the boy and ran as Crane started to chase her.

* * *

Gordon stared at his walkie-talkie incredulously as Loeb said despairingly, "There's nobody _left_ to send in."

"So I'm on my own?" Gordon asked in disbelief… just as something came flying over the raised bridges and crashing down behind him.

Gordon whirled around in shock before feeling hope break out like the sun over the sea at dawn as he saw the Batmobile swerving sharply to come to a halt just behind him. The second the tank stopped moving, the lid opened to reveal Batman inside.

Gordon hurried over as Batman stepped out of his vehicle, and the harried officer quickly informed the taller man, "The Narrows is tearing itself to pieces."

"This is just the beginning." Batman cut in grimly in his strange but now comforting deep voice. "If they hit the whole city with the toxin, there's nothing to stop Gotham from tearing itself apart."

Gordon frowned as he asked, "How are they gonna do that?"

"They'll be using the train." Batman answered and Gordon's jaw dropped. "The monorail follows the water mains to the central hub, beneath Wayne Tower. If they get their machine into Wayne Station, it'll cause a chain reaction that'll vaporize the entire city's water supply."

Gordon's jaw clenched as he realized, "Covering Gotham in this poison."

He gestured at the thick fog around them, mostly out of frustration, but he paused as Batman continued firmly, "I'm gonna stop him from loading that train, but I may need your help."

Gordon didn't even skip a beat as he asked, "What do you need?"

"Can you drive stick?" Batman asked, lifting the sensor key to his Batmobile, and Gordon blinked.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rachel sped down the street, racing away from Scarecrow as the madman followed her on his horse. He was gaining on her, despite the cover the fog and the other panicking people provided, but Rachel quickly turned around an alley corner.

She quickly dropped the boy as she drew her taser-gun, standing ready as the sound of the horse's feet clopping on the pavement got closer.

The boy watched with wide eyes as, the second Scarecrow turned the corner after them, Rebecca fired her taser. The end hit the man in the face, making Scarecrow scream before he slumped over, knocked unconscious.

Rebecca breathed in relief as the horse galloped off wildly now that its rider wasn't in control, but her relief was very short-lasted.

Rebecca's eyes widened as she saw movement in the fog, and she backed slowly into the alley with the boy in her arms as an entire line of Arkham's inmates appeared before them.

The boy was gasping, though his eyes were wide and focused with growing terror on the approaching men, as Rebecca pulled him behind her back. Keeping herself as a human shield between the boy and the inmates, Rebecca quickly lifted her gun once more, aiming it warily at the inmates.

She couldn't actually fire at them without risking killing them, but she was also aware that if she didn't do something soon she was signing her death warrant. And that meant the boy behind her was dead too.

"Stay back!" Rebecca warned as the inmates slowly edged closer, barely even noticing the gun in her hand.

Rebecca fired a warning shot above their heads, making the inmates pause as she ordered, "I said, stay back!"

The boy whimpered in terror, the gunshot having frightened him even more but Rebecca figured, at this point, a little more scared was better than gruesomely killed.

Unfortunately, the latter was still looking to be a very large possibility as the Arkham prisoners slowly started to approach them once more.

"Batman will save us." The boy whispered shakily as he hugged Rebecca's back and her heart tugged. "He'll come."

Rebecca didn't have time to reply as one of the Arkham inmates lifted a knife menacingly towards them, and she called sharply, "Come any closer and I _will_ fire."

The man barely reacted, and Rebecca fired another warning shot. The inmates paused again, but perhaps sensing her hesitation to actually fire on them, they started closing in again much faster than they had before.

Rebecca's jaw clenched while the boy whispered like a mantra, "He'll come. He'll come."

Rebecca hugged the boy tightly against her back as she aimed her gun for the approaching man's leg.

But before she could fire, a black-cad figure dropped down before them, landing with a crash on top of the prisoner wielding the knife.

Rebecca jumped in shock before sheer relief almost made her collapse as Batman quickly turned and grabbed her and the boy into his arms. Rebecca buried herself into his arms as Batman pulled them up, inhaling the calming scent of aftershave and pine as she calmed her racing heart.

The second they were safely on the roof, he let them go and Rebecca quickly checked the boy, feeling his face and taking his pulse. The boy appeared to be fairing rather well, perhaps because she'd kept his nose and mouth as covered as possible the entire time. The boy let her check him over, his wide blue eyes fixed on Batman almost reverently.

As Rebecca let him go, satisfied, the boy finally turned to her as he said with a wobbly smile, "I told you he'd come."

"Yes, you did." Rebecca agreed, giving the boy an encouraging smile. "And you were a very brave boy."

The boy looked back at Batman, who was watching silently. As the boy stared at him, Batman nodded once both to show agreement with Rebecca's statement and to show that he recognized and remembered the boy from their chance meeting a few days before.

The boy smiled again, before his face relaxed completely. Exhausted, he fell asleep, and Rebecca carefully covered him with her coat before she stood up and turned to Batman… who was about to leave.

"Wait!" She called, hurrying over to him and Bruce paused where he was perched on the roof ledge.

"What are you going to do?" Rebecca asked as she stopped beside him, and Bruce turned to her as he explained, "I have to stop that monorail."

Rebecca frowned as she looked up at the tracks that ran across the whole city as she asked, "The one your father built?"

Bruce nodded as he explained, "Ra's al Ghul, the one who was behind this whole thing, has his machine in the train. If it gets to the city-"

"It'll run right through Wayne Tower, and the central water hub." Rebecca realized.

"I have to stop it before that happens." Bruce said grimly, and Rebecca hesitated.

"You sound like you know this Ra's al Ghul." She noted, and Bruce confirmed, "I did once; I met him in the time I was away."

"Is he stronger than you?" Rebecca asked quietly, and Bruce answered grimly, "We'll have to see."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" She asked, concerned for his safety, and Bruce paused again.

"Yeah, there is." He answered shortly.

Suddenly, Bruce grabbed her, turning them so his cape shielded them from view while he placed his lips over hers.

Rebecca froze, unable to move as Bruce placed a relatively soft, chaste kiss on her, his lips moving gently against hers for a brief moment before he pulled back slightly.

"Give me a reason to come back alive." Bruce murmured, his breath caressing Rebecca's cheek as he remained so close their lips could almost still be touching.

She stared up at him with wide blue eyes as he let her go, turning and finally leaping down. Rebecca hurried to the roof edge to watch as Bruce spread his cape wide behind him, letting the stiffened cloth catch the wind and acting as wings as he swept across the city towards the monorail.

"That's cheating, Bruce." Rebecca whispered as she watched him go, her heart clenching with fear for his life even as her stomach did flips after the kiss he'd given her.

* * *

Bruce meanwhile soared high across the Narrows, even as people screamed in utter terror as they spotted his dark form in the sky. The fear gas was probably making them see things, too – maybe breathing fire or something.

Either way, Bruce ignored the noise as he sped his way to the train tracks, searching along the rail for Ra's. He soon spotted a figure moving on the maintenance walkways below the railroad, and Bruce sped his way over to see Ra's and two of his men pulling the microwave emitter up onto the waiting monorail.

Ra's naturally spotted him coming, and the leader of the League of Shadows turned to face him as Bruce dropped down onto the walkway before his former mentor.

"Well, well." Ra's noted dryly as he stared at Bruce from above his own gas mask. "You too my advice about theatricality a bit… literally _._ "

"It ends here." Bruce growled in his Batman voice, and Ra's replied darkly, "For you and the police, maybe."

His eyes narrowed and his gaze was cold as he continued, "My fight, however, lies with the rest of Gotham. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a city to destroy."

Ra's turned to leave, and Bruce asked sarcastically, "I can't beat two of your pawns?"

Ra's raised a brow as he grabbed one of the ropes leading up onto the monorail, and he shrugged, "As you wish."

Two more of his ninjas dropped down from where they had been hiding, lying flat on the underside of the railway above, while Ra's wrapped his hand around his rope and tugged. Instantly, he was pulled up, leaving Bruce to face his four men alone.

The men before him took aim, but Bruce's eyes narrowed as he sensed an added presence behind him.

Before any of his opponents could react, Bruce leapt back at the man who had been trying to sneak up behind him, throwing them both over the side of the walkway. The others followed quickly behind as Bruce and the one ninja landed on the roof below, Bruce using the other man as a cushion beneath him.

He then quickly rolled onto his feet, standing up to meet his other opponents as the first man lay unconscious on the ground.

It took all of Bruce's training under Ra's himself to take on the remaining four League of Shadows members, spinning and twisting as he punched, kicked, and blocked blows. A sword came close to his neck, but Bruce managed to swiftly block it with the scallops on the forearms of his metal gauntlets before he shoved the attacker off as he punched another.

Bruce continued to fight hard, ignoring any blows that fell on his own body as he retaliated ten times over for every hit he received. He finally kicked one man off the side of the building, before shooting a small grapple at another man as the ninja drew a gun.

The grapple wrapped around the gun and Bruce jerked, causing the gun to go flying harmlessly over the side of the roof as well while he tackled the owner, knocking the man out at last. The last ninja came running at him but Bruce twisted, grabbing the man and throwing him over the edge of the roof. The man grabbed onto him, pulling him with, but Bruce easily overcame the other man as he forced the man to roll so that they landed with Bruce on top.

His armour and protective cowl took the blow for Bruce, allowing him to maintain full function of his body while the ninja lay knocked out and probably with a few broken bones beside him. Bruce rolled back up onto his feet, looking around warily as he saw the dark shadowy figures in the fog as the regular residents of the Narrows slowly turned towards him.

The fear toxin still in full affect, the residents started to slowly move towards him, their eyes wild as they started to mob him. Bruce pulled away quickly, his eyes picking up on his grapple gun lying not two five away, but before he could reach for it, the mob was back.

Bruce grunted as they started to converge on him, pulling him back, while above he could hear the monorail starting to move away.

' _No._ ' Bruce thought desperately as he struggled towards the grapple gun, but it was still too far away. ' _No!_ '


	11. Trainwreck

Bruce struggled violently to pull free from the mob closing in around him, when suddenly a gun fired.

The group flinched, most of them dropping Bruce to turn in fear towards whatever had fired the gun, before they screamed as they ran while a motorbike came speeding towards them. Bruce blinked as familiar red hair flew up when the bike screeched to a halt, right next to his grapple gun.

"Come on!" Rebecca called sharply as she dropped her now-empty gun while reaching down to grab Bruce's gun.

Bruce didn't need to be told twice, and he wrenched himself free from the last of the crowd before throwing himself onto the bike behind Rebecca. The second he was on, she was taking off again, zooming on her 'borrowed' bike passed the crowd of people as the poisoned residents started to converge again.

"Follow that train!" Bruce yelled at her above the engines while he reached around her to grab the grapple gun from her hand.

He wondered for a split-second how she'd known he needed it, before concluding that she must have guessed when she saw him reaching for it amongst the mob of insane people.

Bruce quickly aimed his grapple gun high onto the bottom of the train as it sped above their heads and he told Rebecca, "I'm going to go up – get off the streets!"

"You're welcome!" Rebecca shouted back, and Bruce had to smile slightly at her sass as he fired his gun.

"Thank you." He whispered into her ear before he reeled himself off her bike and up below the moving train.

Rebecca glanced up briefly to watch him as he swung precariously from the train, before she turned a corner, intending to drive into an alley dark enough where she could escape off the streets without anyone seeing her…

Rebecca screeched to a halt as the Batmobile came speeding down the road ahead of her. She gaped at the tank, her head whipping from where she'd definitely seen Bruce disappear off on the train and then to the tank careening down the road.

"Wha-?" She wondered, before she abruptly realized who had to be behind the wheel of the Batmobile; there was only one person left who was sane on this island and it was too coincidental that it was also a person Batman trusted.

Taking her chances, Rebecca turned and sped after the Batmobile.

* * *

Bruce meanwhile grit his teeth as he tried to pull himself up higher towards the train while down below, all the manholes in the city of Gotham started to blow up as the gas in the waters below was released.

People were starting to scream here as well as Bruce hung on for dear life, before his eyes widened as he saw an approaching skywalk above one of the city's larger streets. He swung himself up but there was also so far he could go, and Bruce grunted in pain as his lower body hit the metal skywalk roof.

He ended up skidding along the roof, causing sparks to fly and the roof to actually come off as his armour-clad body slid along it.

Bruce struggled as he tried to manipulate the grapple gun's trigger to connect with his utility belt again – the only way he would be able to pull himself fully up – but his task was made more difficult as the train's momentum kept swinging him slightly while he tried to dodge any structures built high enough to hit him.

The first walkway was only one of a few, and Bruce found himself also swinging dangerously close to the edge of a signboard at one point. His strength was also slowly starting to wane, and Bruce knew he would have to act fast before he was too tired – and before the train reached Wayne Tower.

* * *

Rebecca followed Gordon as her superior drove helter-skelter down the Gotham City streets, clearly making a beeline for Wayne Tower.

She frowned as she wondered what his plan could possibly be once he got there - and a part of her also wondered if he even knew how to drive the Batmobile. The car's rather unsteady course did make her think otherwise.

Though, she supposed as she swerved to dodge another manhole coming crashing down nearby, she probably looked like a mad driver too. Between the panicking people, the manholes raining down around the streets, and the thick fog that was building as more and more of the gas was released here in the city as well, it was all Rebecca could do to keep from causing an accident.

Tailing the Batmobile helped somewhat as people scrambled away from the approaching tank whenever they accidentally got caught in the way, but the closer they got to Wayne Tower the more anxious she was getting. Seeing Bruce so far from the almost impenetrable tank made her all the more worried that he was going to get hurt – a feeling that intensified with each glimpse she got of the speeding train in the distance.

* * *

Bruce fought with his grapple, clenching his teeth as he willed it to work.

Finally, the trigger clicked, and Bruce slammed his hand on the utility belt button, swiftly reeling himself in. He made a quick mental note to fix the problem with the grapple, before thrusting the thought out of his mind as he focused fully on the situation just as he swung himself over the side of the train.

Using the speed of the grapple reeling him in, Bruce managed to break right through the train's glass window as he crashed through with his momentum.

Ra's spun around from where he was in the driver's compartment, and the man's face twisted into a scowl as Bruce leapt up onto the roof of the train before landing on the machine sitting in the middle of the train compartment.

Bruce stared right back with narrowed eyes as Ra's muttered angrily, "You will never learn."

Bruce leapt forwards as Ra's drew his sword, and Bruce quickly landed on his feet right before the machine. He dodged as Ra's swiped at him, maintaining his composure and focus as he avoided swing after swing as Ra's tried to cut him.

He ducked, moving behind Ra's, and Ra's instantly spun back around, thrusting his sword. Bruce blocked the blade with his metal scallops, grabbing the blade with his other hand in an effort to pull the blade out of Ra's grip.

"Familiar!" Ra's spat as he jerked the blade back and away. "Don't you have anything new?"

He swung down at Bruce, who blocked the blade again with his metal gauntlets as he raised both arms before him, the scallops pointing towards Ra's as they caught the blade between them.

"How about this?" Bruce snarled as he swept his arms open, the motion causing Ra's blade to shatter as the scallops wrenched the sword in two different directions.

As Ra's stood, slightly surprised, Bruce swung himself up slightly on the train's handgrips and kicked Ra's right in the chest. The man stumbled back a little under the force of the blow, while Bruce turned towards the driver's compartment, picking up Ra's broken blade swiftly as he did.

He worked quickly, staring out to check where they were as he did, before he grunted as Ra's smashed his weight down on Bruce's head. The cowl protected Bruce, though he winced in pain, and he struggled against Ra's as his free hand swung about before smashing the broken blade into the train's controls.

With both hands free, Bruce grabbed Ra's and twisted free, turning so he was facing the older man once more. He kicked Ra's again, sending the man back and into the microwave emitter, and Bruce lunged at the winded male before Ra's could recover.

His momentum took them both over the machine, where they rolled as they struggled to come out on top in their battle, all while the train moved ever closer towards Wayne Tower.

* * *

Gordon gasped as he swerved around another corner, and an automated voice informed him, "You have arrived at Wayne Tower."

Gordon peered out to see he was indeed right outside the landmark tower, but now he found himself at a loss. How could he take out the railway line before the train hit the tower? He remembered seeing on the news that the Batmobile had torpedoes of some kind and weapons, but he didn't know how to activate any of that.

"Er… oh, come on, come on…" Gordon muttered as he looked around desperately at all the buttons on the control panels around the driver's seat. "Which one-?"

He jumped, startled, as someone suddenly knocked loudly on the Batmobile's lid.

"Gordon?" The very familiar voice called. "Jim, open up!"

Gordon looked up in shock, to see Rebecca Dawes standing right outside the Batmobile, her red hair wild from riding a motorbike without a helmet.

* * *

Bruce grunted as Ra's swung him into one of the windows, smashing the glass with Bruce's head as Bruce struggled to break free of Ra's iron grasp. Ra's wasn't going to let him go any time soon, however, and the older man twisted them around so that he held Bruce's arm tighter while Bruce lost his grip on Ra's.

Bruce retaliated with a backward jab of his elbow, hitting Ra's hard in the face and forcing the man to loosen his grip. Bruce quickly utilized the moment as he spun around and pulled his arm free, before punching Ra's in the face again.

He added a second punch for good measure before Ra's could recover, sending the older man crashing back into one of the seats. Bruce was on him swiftly, pulling Ra's up with one hand while he repeatedly punched the man's face. Ra's was forced back, and Bruce continued relentlessly in his attack now that he had the upper hand, forcing Ra's further and further back down the train, away from the machine and the driver's compartment.

* * *

"Do you know what you're doing?" Gordon asked anxiously as Rebecca shut the lid back over their heads while she settled herself in the driver's seat.

She paused to look over at her superior and boss.

"Are you kidding?" Rebecca asked. "I saw him drive this thing once, and I was almost dying at the time."

"I thought you-!" Gordon began in alarm, while Rebecca looked forward and pressed a button on the panel before her.

"Weapons system activated." The automated voice announced immediately, while Rebecca's seat tilted before it leant her forwards and down below where the driving wheel had been, as she had seen it do for Batman before.

"What?" Gordon gasped, his jaw dropping, and Rebecca informed him, "I only saw it once, but I'm good."

Gordon barked a laugh at that, more startled than anything, while Rebecca took the driving wheel as it shifted into two handles before her.

"Okay, now this part I didn't see." She muttered. "But I can guess."

She flipped the tips of the handles open, grinning when the triggers clicked and the Batmobile announced, "Armed."

Rebecca aimed the car so that she was looking directly at the railway support beam right in front of Wayne Tower. Clenching her jaw slightly as her eyes squinted just a little in concentration, Rebecca tilted the left handle forward.

Instantly, a blast was released from the left side of the Batmobile, and Rebecca smirked.

' _Oh yeah, I got it._ ' She thought to herself while Gordon gaped in the passenger seat.

Rebecca quickly aimed again, firing the right side this time as she blasted the whole beam out, causing the railway track above to tilt slightly.

"Keep going, Becky, you're doing it!" Gordon cheered, and Rebecca let a small smile slip before she fired again at the other support beam.

The railway tracks instantly began to creak ominously, and Rebecca grit her teeth as she fired again at the last support beam in the centre.

* * *

Bruce grunted as Ra's kicked him, and the older man quickly used Bruce's slight stumble to turn the tables.

He shoved down on Bruce, trapping the younger man underneath his weight and he pressed down on Bruce's neck. Bruce grunted and choked slightly, tugging on Ra's arms as Ra's hissed, "Don't be afraid, Bruce."

Bruce struggled against Ra's grip as the train sped all the closer towards Wayne Tower, and Ra's growled, "You're just an ordinary man in a cape."

Ra's pressed down tighter on Bruce as he continued triumphantly, "That's why you couldn't fight injustice, that's why you can't stop this train."

"Who said anything about stopping it?" Bruce got out, and Ra's head shot up instantly in shock.

He stared at where the broken blade was stabbed into the controls, meaning that nothing could stop the train's motion now, and Ra's mouth fell open slightly as he tried to understand what Bruce was doing.

His question was answered as the tracks in front of Wayne Tower, just ahead of them, suddenly collapsed, falling away and dragging the rest of the tracks down with it as the support beams below gave way. Ra's froze, stunned, and Bruce quickly used the opening he had been given.

"You never learned to mind your surroundings." Bruce growled as he flipped them over while his free hand snatched at one of the bat-shaped shurikens hanging on his utility belt.

Bruce turned them over, slamming Ra's down and pressing down on Ra's neck while he lifted the batarang in his other hand, the sharp end pointed like a blade down towards Ra's.

* * *

"Uh oh." Rebecca muttered as she shot out the beams successfully.

The good news was that the tracks had given out exactly as Gordon had told her Batman had told him to do. The bad news was, the beams were falling… towards the Batmobile.

"Becky!" Gordon yelled from the passenger seat, where he who was also staring up at the falling beams in alarm.

"Yeah, yeah, on it!" She yelled as she quickly went into reverse, backing the Batmobile out of the way just in time.

She and Gordon breathed in relief as the beams collapsed nearby, none falling on them or anybody else. After all, everyone had scampered quickly when they saw the tank starting to shoot powerful blasts onto the railway supports.

So it was only Gordon and Rebecca left to sit, panting with leftover adrenaline, as they stared up towards the giant hole in the train tracks Rebecca had just blown.

* * *

Bruce and Ra's stared at each other as Bruce held the older man down with the batarang's sharpened edge pointed at Ra's neck.

"Have you finally learned to do what is necessary?" Ra's asked, sounding almost hopeful in the twisted way that the leader of the League of Shadows was.

Bruce stared back down at Ra's, disgusted.

"I won't kill you." He informed his former mentor gruffly.

Ra's looked almost disappointed as Bruce threw his batarang, smashing open one of the nearest windows. The batarang swung out the back, slicing through the link that connected their compartment with the one behind it.

The tear quickly became larger before the entire thing ripped open, causing the two compartments to become disconnected and creating a large opening at the back as the two compartments drifted apart.

Bruce looked back at Ra's as he added bluntly, "But I don't have to save you."

Ra's widened his eyes as Bruce lifted his cape, stiffening it and instantly the wind caught the cape and pulled him back and out of the train. Bruce easily manipulated himself so he was flying high above the train, watching as it sped uncontrollably down the last of the tracks before it went crashing right into the ground, where it went smashed under the Wayne Tower basement.

Bruce continued to watch as – moments later – there was a huge explosion inside the underground parking area, when the microwave emitter blew up due to damage. There would have been no way Ra's escaped that.

It was for the best. A man like Ra's al Ghul could not be contained, not even close to forever. And he was too dangerous to be let loose – too clever, too skilled. Bruce wasn't exactly happy with the outcome, but he'd already thought Ra's al Ghul was dead once; he would be able to continue living knowing it for certain now.

Because the lives he saved were too important and precious to risk otherwise.

* * *

Outside the damage, Rebecca and Gordon finally emerged from the Batmobile, staring with wide eyes at the train wreckage both inside and outside the underground parking.

There was nothing to be done about the part inside, given the force of the explosion they had witnessed. Really, Rebecca was just thankful that whoever had built Wayne Tower had done a superb job with the foundations – while the parking bay was blown away, the rest of the building had mercifully remained intact and standing tall.

The second half of the train, which had for some reason been cut off from the front compartments, had crashed above the ground, simply landing in a heap in the middle of the hole in the support beams. Because of the self-evacuated area, no-one had been hurt in that either.

It was a miracle and a mercy, but that didn't mean Gordon and Rebecca were any less thankful for it.

And Rebecca's smile widened as she stared up high above, where they could see Batman swooping off away safely into the distance. Gordon waved a little after the masked vigilante as well, still somewhat stunned but not enough that he couldn't be a little amused and more than a little hopeful.

It seemed there was going to be big changes in Gotham now – and for once, Gordon had the feeling he was going to be happy about them.


	12. Changes

The next morning, Bruce frowned slightly in focus as he read the front page of the morning paper while Alfred drove him down the streets of Gotham City.

Thankfully, no-one had even begun to guess who Batman really was – not for lack of trying – and more importantly, there had been fewer casualties thanks to his efforts. Arkham's inmates had all been rounded up and people were being cured of Crane's toxin and treated as fast as possible thanks to the 'miraculous' cure that Gordon had delivered.

It was an all-around success, made all the better as Bruce read the report that Rebecca and Gordon were both up for promotion after the night's events.

"Batman may have made the front page," Alfred spoke up lightly, "and Miss Dawes made page two; but Bruce Wayne got pushed to page eight."

Bruce chuckled a little as he took the newspaper Alfred passed him, already opened onto said page. Bruce stared down at the article title 'Drunken Billionaire Burns Down Home', his expression turning thoughtful as he skimmed over the details.

It had been printed exactly as he and Alfred had wanted to spin the story; and no-one had to know the truth. Well, almost no-one.

His cell rang, and Bruce answered on speaker, "Bruce Wayne"

"What makes you think," the irritated voice of one William Earle, former CEO of Wayne Enterprises demanded, "you can decide who's running Wayne Enterprises?"

Bruce smirked, not at all ruffled and indeed enjoying the other man's barely suppressed anger.

However, he kept his tone even as he answered calmly, "Well, the fact that I'm the owner."

"What are you talking about?" Earle growled, though with a hint of genuine confusion. "The company went public a week ago."

"And I bought most of the shares." Bruce answered casually while Alfred grinned as he drove, enjoying Bruce's triumph as much as the young man was. "Through various charitable foundations, and trusts, and so forth."

Bruce couldn't quite keep the amusement from his voice as he added, throwing Earle's words right back at him, "Look, it's all a bit technical. But," his smirk widened as Alfred suppressed a chuckle, "the important thing is that _my_ company's future is secure."

He then raised his voice as he added loudly, "Right, Mr. Fox?"

"Right you are, Mr. Wayne." Lucius Fox, the new CEO of Wayne Enterprises, answered and Bruce smiled as he cut the call.

"I think a celebratory dinner tonight is in order, Master Wayne." Alfred chuckled, and Bruce laughed, "Right you are, Alfred."

"Perhaps you would like to invite Miss Dawes." Alfred added slyly, making Bruce's smile dim slightly.

"I haven't spoken to her since last night." Bruce admitted with a sigh.

"You are not afraid to fight Gotham's criminals, but you are frightened to call Miss Dawes, sir?" Alfred inquired, with more than a hint of teasing in his voice.

"Becky can be a lot scarier than any of my enemies – even Ra's al Ghul in some ways." Bruce answered dryly.

Bruce's cell rang again before Alfred could answer, and Bruce answered it again on speaker.

"Bruce Wayne."

"When were you planning on telling me?!" Rebecca's voice yelled through the phone, making both Bruce and Alfred wince.

"What?" Bruce asked, bewildered, and Rebecca snapped, "Don't 'what?' me, Bruce Wayne! Is Alfred okay?"

"Becky, hang on, what are you-?" Bruce began, when she said sharply, "I saw in the paper that your house burnt down last night!"

Bruce blinked, before he realized what was going on.

"Oh, yeah, um…" He said sheepishly while Alfred chuckled quietly. "Look, are you alone right now?"

"Yeah, I'm at home – Gordon gave me the day off." Rebecca dismissed. "And Rachel's already gone to work, the workaholic."

"That's rich coming from you." Bruce muttered, and Rebecca warned, "Don't make me do something I'll regret, Wayne."

"Right, sorry." Bruce said quickly. "About the Manor – Ra's burnt it down after he crashed my birthday party."

"You were okay though?" Rebecca asked worriedly.

Bruce answered as he met Alfred's eyes in the rearview mirror, "I was thanks to Alfred."

"I'll have to thank him, then." Rebecca sighed, before adding sternly, "And you still haven't answered my question – when were you going to tell me?"

"I forgot you didn't know." Bruce admitted. "I didn't mean to _not_ tell you but it wasn't exactly high on my list of priorities at the time."

"I suppose." Rebecca sighed. "Are you going to the Manor now?"

"Yeah, I'm just going to see what's left." Bruce answered, leaning back in the backseat of the Wayne Rolls. "And check on a few things."

"A few bat things?" Rebecca asked dryly, and Bruce grinned as he agreed, "A few bat things. And I wanted to check if there was anything we could salvage."

Rebecca went quiet for a moment before she said softly, "I'm sorry it was burnt down, Bruce."

Bruce's smile dropped and he let out a sigh as he murmured, "Yeah."

He still felt guilty about letting Ra's burn his family's home, but Bruce was glad Alfred and Rebecca were sticking beside him through it.

And another soft smile tugged on his lips as he listened to Rebecca's gentle voice as she added, "And I'm sorry I yelled at you about it, I was just so surprised when I saw it in the paper."

"Well," Bruce replied with a glance down at the open papers in front of him, "I was surprised too, Sergeant Dawes."

Rebecca instantly snorted, and Bruce's grin widened as he could picture her rolling her eyes and shaking her red curls about her face in amused exasperation.

"Shut up." She replied.

But Bruce was enjoying himself and he continued, "It says here you're to be the youngest female Sergeant in the history of Gotham City - and one of the youngest Sergeants in history period. To think little Becky grew up so fast."

"Whatever." Rebecca dismissed with a laugh. "At least now I can officially order the other officers into action – hopefully, with Gordon as Lieutenant now as well, that means we'll actually get somewhere when we chase down leads."

Bruce chuckled, before the line went quiet for a moment.

"Can I come by and see you while you're at the Manor?" Rebecca asked suddenly, and Bruce blinked in surprise.

Suddenly feeling a little nervous as he remembered how he'd left her the night before, Bruce swallowed before he answered as casually as he could, "Sure, stop by whenever you want. Alfred and I will be there until late this afternoon."

Alfred shot him a look in the rearview mirror that told Bruce the butler hadn't been fooled by the nonchalance. The old gentleman even seemed to be enjoying Bruce's nervousness.

Bruce scowled slightly in return, while Rebecca replied, "Good. I'll be by just after lunch – I promised Rachel I'd sit down and talk with her during her lunch break."

"She must've been worried about you last night." Bruce noted, and Rebecca admitted sheepishly, "Yeah. She wanted to talk about it when I got in, but since the police only got off near dawn after last night's fiasco, I wasn't really in the mood to chat."

Bruce chuckled as Rebecca added cheekily, "I don't know how you do it every night – oh wait, I do. Billionaire playboys get to sleep in until however late they want the next day."

"Not with Alfred looking after them." Bruce answered as he gave Alfred a pointed look in the mirror. "He's a strict alarm clock."

"Good for him." Rebecca answered sassily, making Bruce laugh again. "Okay, I'll see you later then, Bruce."

"Later, Becky." Bruce confirmed before Rebecca hung up and he leaned back with a groan.

"What am I going to do, Alfred?" Bruce asked, and Alfred suggested, "Invite her to dinner, sir."

"No, I mean," Bruce sighed as he looked out the window at Gotham passing by around him. "I kissed her last night."

"Oh?"

"Don't start." Bruce warned at Alfred's far too casual tone. "But what do I say now?"

"Well, sir," Alfred answered bluntly. "You could start by being honest and just telling her how you feel."

"You make it sound so simple." Bruce muttered, but Alfred pointed out, "It is simple, sir. She already knows who you are, both as Batman and Bruce Wayne. All you can do is show her exactly how much of that you are offering - it will be up to her to decide if she can accept that."

Bruce sat silently, his face pensive, as Alfred drove them the rest of the way to what was left of Wayne Manor in silence.

* * *

Bruce was fixing the planks on the old dried-up well when Rebecca arrived.

Rebecca paused in the charred doorway as she watched Bruce while he hammered another nail into the new plank he was placing over the well. He was so focused on not hitting his finger by accident that he didn't even notice her until she spoke up.

"Making sure no-one else takes an accidental fall?"

Bruce looked up in surprise, before he smiled as he put the hammer down.

"Becky." He greeted, and Rebecca grinned as she commented cheekily while walking towards him, "It should be a privilege to the rest of us that you personally took our safety into consideration."

"You mean Bruce Wayne?" Bruce asked, raising a brow, and Rebecca corrected with a laugh, "Batman."

Bruce chuckled at that while Rebecca came to a stop before him.

"Oh, and before I forget…"

Bruce tilted his head curiously as Rebecca rummaged in her handbag, before he blinked in surprise as Rebecca pulled out a small, carefully hand-wrapped box.

"Happy belated birthday." She announced with a sheepish smile. "I never got the chance to give this to you between getting kidnapped, poisoned, and saving the city."

Bruce chuckled, taking the present from her as he teased, "So you're saying I'm not more important than your life and the fate of the city?"

"My life – maybe. More than Gotham? Never." Rebecca answered jokingly while Bruce opened the present.

A surprised look crossed his face before he smiled as he carefully removed the note Rebecca had placed on top of the gift, which had given away what lay underneath, 'Finders Keepers – Becky.'

Bruce picked up the arrowhead that lay snuggled inside the box, before lifting his eyes to stare right into Rebecca's blue ones.

* * *

 _22 years ago_

After Thomas Wayne had set Bruce's bone, the man left to inform Rebecca's mother and Bruce's mother that both children were quite all right.

Rebecca sat beside Bruce, still shaking from fear, while Bruce cradled his arm with a pale face. However, deciding he needed to be the braver one as the older child, Bruce forced his own trembling back as he held out his uninjured hand.

"Becky."

Rebecca looked over, her wide blue eyes calming down as they met Bruce's warm brown ones. She looked down as Bruce gestured with his outstretched hand, and she blinked as he offered her the arrowhead he'd snatched from her sister earlier.

"It's okay, Bruce." Rebecca said as she shook her head, her red curls fluttering with the motion.

But Bruce said firmly, "You _were_ the one who found it. And I couldn't protect you against the b-bats."

His voice waved slightly as he mentioned the creatures both of them would probably fear for life, but Bruce's gaze remained steady as the eight-year-old boy pressed the arrowhead into Rebecca's small hands.

"So you take it." Bruce insisted, as the six-year-old girl stared at him with bright blue eyes.

"Finders Keepers." Rebecca murmured softly as she closed her hands over the arrowhead, and Bruce nodded.

"Then I'll keep it until you find it." Rebecca told Bruce, and he asked, confused, "Find what?"

"A way to protect _you_ from ba… them." Rebecca explained, still too afraid to even say the word 'bats'. "Then you'll be a finder, too."

Bruce paused, before he promised, "If I find a way to protect me, I'll protect you, too, Becky. Promise."

"Pinky promise?" Rebecca asked, and Bruce held out his pinky.

"Pinky promise." He answered, and Rebecca took it with a smile.

"You'll have to keep your word now, Master Bruce."

The two children looked over to see Alfred smiling as he walked in, carrying a tray with two mugs of hot chocolate for the shock.

"A man never breaks his word to a lady." Alfred continued as he set the tray down on the side table.

And Bruce answered as seriously as an eight-year-old boy could be – which was quite serious - "I'll keep my promise, because we pinky swore."

"Very good, sir." Alfred smiled, while Rebecca piped up, "And then he'll be a keeper, too. Right, Mr. Alfred?"

"Right you are, Miss Rebecca." Alfred answered kindly, and Rebecca beamed at Bruce, starting to feel better already.

Bruce smiled back at her, feeling a strange warmth inside as he looked down at the little girl's bright smile beside him.

* * *

 _Present_

"Finders Keepers." Bruce chuckled as he closed his hand around the arrowhead.

"You're a keeper of your word, Bruce." Rebecca agreed. "And you're a 'finder' – so, it's only right I kept _my_ word."

Bruce grinned as he looked down at the arrowhead.

"You know, I had a crush on you as a kid back then." Bruce commented, not looking at Rebecca. "After you and I fell into this old well together."

He patted said well, while Rebecca smiled.

"I had a crush on you, too." Rebecca answered. "Until you left for college."

Bruce looked up at her, searching her eyes as she appeared to be doing the same to him.

"The feelings came back when I… fell in love with you again in college, before I left." Bruce continued softly as he leant in closer towards Rebecca.

Her eyes darted down to his lips briefly before meeting his gaze once more as she whispered back, "I was in love with you then, too."

"And now?" Bruce asked tentatively as they came ever closer, so close that he could feel her breath ghosting over his cheek.

"What about you?" Rebecca asked softly, her lips brushing his slightly.

"I still am." Bruce answered, and Rebecca whispered, "So am I."

They closed the small gap left between them, Bruce reaching down to pull Rebecca closer as he wrapped his arms around her waist while Rebecca placed her arms around his neck as she tugged him closer as they kissed each other deeply.


	13. What we do

Rebecca finally had to break for air.

Turning her head slightly, she broke their kiss while Bruce leant his forehead against hers tenderly, keeping them close as they caught their breath.

"Are you sure about this?" Rebecca whispered as she opened her eyes to stare at Bruce.

He gazed back as he murmured, "About what?"

"You're Batman." Rebecca reminded softly. "While you're him… you can't give up your playboy billionaire persona. And neither of us could justify a relationship in public while you're 'Bruce Wayne'."

"I can give up this life for you." Bruce answered without missing a beat, and Rebecca laughed.

"Oh, Bruce." Rebecca shook her head. "You can't do that. Not only do I think it's physically impossible for you, but you've started something incredible. You've become a symbol of hope for the city – she's depending on you."

Rebecca caressed the back of her hand fondly over his cheek as she added softly, "We all are."

Bruce swallowed, dread starting to creep into his heart as he asked, "What are you saying?"

"I'm asking how far you've thought this through, Bruce." Rebecca replied gently. "I'm asking… what exactly you're asking of me."

Bruce closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. He could smell the faint scent of vanilla and coffee again, a scent that was quickly turning into an addiction. But he forced himself to think on what Rebecca had said.

As much as he hated to admit it, she was right; and he had thought about it in passing more than a few times before he'd shied away from the thoughts like they had burnt his mind. Bruce couldn't change his fake persona without drawing suspicion, and he couldn't have that. Batman must never be linked to him, not just to protect the people he loved but because of what the Batman was coming to represent. A symbol of hope and justice; a symbol that couldn't be bloodied or killed, unlike his physical body.

Yet to have Rebecca so close; to know she felt the same way he did…

"I can't ask you to date me in public." Bruce said at last, opening his eyes to look Rebecca in the eye once more.

Disappointment and acceptance filled her gaze, and Rebecca was about to move back when Bruce pulled her close again.

Rebecca stared at him, startled, as Bruce continued while his eyes searched hers, "But I also don't _want_ to ask you to wait for me any more."

"So what _are_ you asking me?" Rebecca breathed, gazing up at Bruce with uncertain blue eyes.

Bruce took a deep breath before he answered in a rush, "Can I ask you to be mine when it's just us, and wait for when I can ask you in front of the whole world?"

A bubble of laughter escaped her as Rebecca asked, tears glittering in her eyes, "Is that the grand plan you came up with?"

"It's all I have." Bruce admitted sincerely. "And it's all I can offer; but it's everything I have right now."

"I know." Rebecca murmured, smiling slightly. "And I don't _need_ the whole world to know. But…"

Her smile dimmed as she stared at Bruce, searching his eyes as he had with her as she pointed out, "What you're saying… it's not going to be easy, Bruce."

"I know that." Bruce answered quietly. "And it's not entirely fair to you – I know I'm being selfish with this. I won't lie, you'll have it the hardest, Becky."

"At least you know it." Rebecca joked, before her eyes softened as Bruce lowered his gaze.

"Hey."

He looked back up at her as she coaxed him gently.

"Look at me, Bruce. I don't want to let you go, either. I know it'll be hard, but… I'd rather be beside you somehow and know you're okay coming home every night, than staying separated and wondering if you're hurt."

Bruce's heart lifted at her words, and he let a small smile turn his lips up at the corners while Rebecca pressed another soft kiss on him.

It wasn't perfect – not by a long shot – and it certainly wasn't how things could or should stay.

But, for now, it was enough for them as Bruce deepened the kiss, pulling Rebecca's red hair back and getting his fingers tangled in the curls while her hands tightened around his neck as she ran her own fingers through his thick brown hair.

* * *

 _Later_

"So, what are you going to do?" Rebecca asked as she and Bruce walked hand-in-hand through the charred ruins back towards Rebecca's car.

She gestured to the destroyed house, and Bruce answered with a wry smile, "Rebuild it. Just the way it was, brick for brick. "

" _Exactly_ the way it was?" Rebecca teased, and Bruce chuckled as he answered, "Well, Alfred did have an idea for 'improving' the foundations."

"Where?" Rebecca asked curiously, and Bruce answered with a chuckle, "The southeast corner."

"Will I be allowed access to the corner?" Rebecca joked, and Bruce teased, "Only if you give the guard a kiss as payment."

"Lots of kisses for Alfred then." Rebecca tossed back, and Bruce barked a laugh.

"Very funny, Sergeant Dawes." He flicked at her nose, but Rebecca dodged it as she laughed back, "Oh, I know I am, Mr. Wayne."

"Come here, you." Bruce growled as he grabbed her around the middle and pulled her close again.

She kissed him back enthusiastically, before they broke apart as Alfred coughed lightly from behind Bruce.

"Alfred." Bruce sighed, while Rebecca stifled a giggle as the old butler said primly, "So sorry to interrupt, Master Wayne, but I have received a call from Mr. Fox about the tumbler."

"The Batmobile?" Rebecca asked in surprise, while Bruce sighed as he took the phone from Alfred.

"Yeah, I took it to him for repairs and to add improvements." Bruce muttered before he answered the phone.

"Bruce Wayne." He said, while Alfred turned to Rebecca.

"If you would like, Miss Dawes, Master Wayne was planning a small celebratory dinner tonight." The old gentleman offered, and Rebecca smiled.

"Just you two?" She checked, and Alfred answered, "I think three's good company."

"Then three it will be." Rebecca laughed, nodding at Alfred. "Thanks for inviting me, Alfred."

"It is genuinely my pleasure to have you, Miss Dawes." Alfred answered gallantly, making Rebecca laugh again.

She pressed a kiss on the old butler's cheek, before letting out a giggle as Bruce's arm wrapped around her stomach again.

"What was that?" He asked, playfully pouting, and Rebecca joked, "An early payment for access to the southeast corner."

"Where's mine as owner of the property?" Bruce pretended to be outraged, and Rebecca pretended to think about it.

"I don't know – I only have to pay the guard." She teased, and Bruce tickled her sides.

Rebecca squealed while Alfred shook his head at them, though he was smiling as he walked away with the phone again, leaving the new couple as Rebecca's giggling cut off abruptly when Bruce lowered his lips on hers once more.

* * *

 _A few nights later_

Gordon adjusted the angle of the searchlight, just as Rebecca walked out onto the roof of the police station with a cup of coffee in each hand.

"You finished it?" She asked, impressed, and Gordon chuckled.

"Yup – I pulled in a favour to get it done as soon as possible." He explained as he switched the light on.

The pair stepped back to admire Gordon's handiwork as the metal stencil bolted onto the searchlight threw up a large bat shadow in the centre of the light's beam on the sky. It mimicked the effect that Batman's earliest signal had had with Crane strapped onto a searchlight, though it worked better with the actual stencil.

"I think he'll like it." Rebecca commented as she handed Gordon his cup while she sipped on her own coffee, and Gordon chuckled.

"You think so?" He asked, and Rebecca answered with a grin, " _I_ like it, Lieutenant."

"Thanks." Gordon replied as he took a swig of his coffee as well. "I do too, Sergeant."

They shared grins, before staring off absently into the city below.

"Is that the reason you're trying to call the Batman?" Rebecca asked lightly, nodding to a plastic packet in her superior's hand, and Gordon nodded as he answered, "You've already heard about it?"

"I overheard a few rumours." Rebecca admitted. "I heard you were going to put a team together tomorrow."

"Yeah – I was going to tell you and the Batman together today though." Gordon admitted, before he glanced out at the city. "If he shows up tonight."

A metal tapping sounded behind them, and the pair turned around before Rebecca smiled and Gordon grinned as Batman removed his hand from the bat stencil.

"Nice." Batman commented in his deep voice.

"Couldn't find any mob bosses." Gordon tossed back as he and Rebecca walked over to join Batman next to the bat signal.

"Sergeant Dawes here said you'd appreciate it, though." Gordon added as he switched the light off, and Batman nodded once while Rebecca suppressed a grin.

"Well, Lieutenant, Sergeant?" Batman inquired as he looked between the pair, and Gordon commented more than asked, "So you know about that, then."

"It was in the news." Batman answered without any inflection, and Gordon shrugged.

"Fair enough." He answered as he watched Batman closely. "You've really started something, you know. Bent cops running scared, hope on the streets."

"But?" Batman prodded, sensing more, and Gordon sighed.

"But," he continued as he got to the surface issues, "the Narrows is lost. And we still haven't picked up Crane or half the inmates of Arkham that he freed."

"We will." Batman replied firmly. Bruce had already heard about that from Rebecca the day before, and he was already searching through the city to find and recapture the missing criminals. "We can bring Gotham back."

"And what about escalation?" Gordon inquired, examining the other man's eyes intently.

"Escalation?" Batman repeated, and Gordon was certain if he could see the man's eyebrows they would be lifted right now.

Gordon explained pointedly, "We start carrying semiautomatics, they buy automatics. We start wearing Kevlar, they buy armour-piercing rounds."

Now he was certain Batman was probably raising his brows, though the man's voice remained neutrally deep as he prompted, "And?"

"And, you're wearing a mask and jumping off rooftops." Gordon said bluntly, a hint of warning in his voice.

Batman just waited, and Gordon held up the plastic bag and the small file he'd been carrying as he explained, "Now, take this guy."

He opened the file, reading off, "Armed robbery, double homicide, got a taste for the theatrical like you."

He nodded at Batman, who glanced at Rebecca over Gordon's shoulder when the man looked back down at his file.

She just shrugged, not knowing the details yet either, as Gordon continued, "Leaves a calling card."

He handed over the plastic bag to Batman, who took it with a frown. Inside was a single, regular playing card and Rebecca also leaned over to look as Batman stared at the card intently. Turning it over, Batman examined the face side of the card, which showed the Joker symbol. Symbol...

"I'll look into it." Batman promised as he handed the card back to Gordon.

He turned to leave without another word, moving towards the edge of the roof, and Gordon hesitated.

"I never said thank you." He called after the Batman, a little reluctantly but his sincerity still rang clear.

Rebecca smiled slightly as the Batman stopped, before he turned to look Gordon right in the eye.

"And you'll never have to." Batman answered.

His eyes moved to meet Rebecca's briefly, before he turned and leapt off the building.

Gordon watched the man disappear, before he turned to see Rebecca grinning at him.

"You didn't say much – unlike usual." Gordon noted, and Rebecca shrugged as she answered, "You said everything you wante. d to. And I already had my shot when he rescued me from Crane before."

"I see." Gordon commented as he turned back to where they could still faintly see Batman swooping off into the distance before the man disappeared into the shadows once more.

"I thought you were afraid of bats." Gordon noted casually, and Rebecca's smile widened.

"I think I can make an exception for one." She answered, and Gordon chuckled as he glanced at her.

"You're going to fall for _Batman_?" He asked, and Rebecca rolled her eyes.

"Please, Gordon – we don't even know who he is behind the mask." She pointed out calmly.

Gordon just shrugged as he answered as he turned to go back inside, "Well, I know how it is with people, young people especially, Becky. You fall for the mysterious, brooding hero types."

"You think he's a hero?" Rebecca chuckled as she followed him back towards the station.

"Don't you?" Gordon countered, glancing back at her, and Rebecca just smiled again.

She turned to stare off again at where Batman had disappeared, and she answered lightly, "I think he is."

Gordon rolled his eyes, but a smile tugged at his lips beneath his moustache as he walked back inside, and Rebecca followed him. Far away, the Batman took off into the night while in the sky, his symbol blazed for all of Gotham to see.

 **End Arc 1**

*A/N Thank you to everyone who read this thus far! This is the end of the first arc, but stay tuned for the next arc featuring possibly the best villain in cinematic history. You know who I'm talking about.


	14. Clowns

**Arc 2: Dark Knight**

 _9 Months Later_

Rebecca walked out onto the roof, smiling as she saw Detective Anna Ramirez already there beside Gordon, both holding cups of coffee.

"Don't you both have people you need to go back and look after?" She asked lightly as she walked up with her own mug of coffee.

Gordon just nodded at Ramirez, who explained quietly, "I checked my mother back into the hospital."

"Oh." Rebecca winced. "I'm sorry to hear that, Detective Ramirez."

"It's all right, Sergeant Dawes." Ramirez answered with a strained smile, before she looked back at the bat signal.

Nodding at the symbol shining brightly in the sky, she asked Gordon as Rebecca joined them, "So, he hasn't shown up?"

Rebecca also looked up at the signal while Gordon admitted, "He often doesn't. But I like reminding everybody that he's out there."

"Why wouldn't he come?" Ramirez asked with a puzzled frown, looking at Gordon.

Rebecca's lips twitched up into a wry smile while Gordon answered with a small smile of his own, " _Hopefully_ , because he's busy."

Ramirez's eyes lit up with understanding, and she nodded while Rebecca sighed to herself as she sipped on her coffee.

' _And hopefully, he's doing it without getting hurt._ ' She thought to herself as she, Gordon, and Ramirez stood in comfortable silence beside the 'Bat Signal' as the light had become affectionately known.

* * *

 _Meanwhile_

Bruce let out a pained yell as one of the drug lord, Chechen's, Rottweilers bit him in the arm right where the armour was weakest. He threw the dog off, saving the Batman copycat that had been mauled by Chechen's dogs, before he turned around.

Chechen was already gone, the drug lord having escaped while Bruce was kept busy taking out the mobster's men - and saving the other dumb men who'd taken to dressing up and fighting criminals the way 'Batman' did. Only they did it with guns.

But Crane's van was still in sight; and Bruce leapt onto the side of the white van as Scarecrow tried to run him over in his escape. Bruce extended a small saw out from his suit gauntlet, before driving it into the side of the van as he started to cut his way inside.

However, Scarecrow simply moved his van to the right as he approached the spiraling tunneled exit ramp of the parking garage where the meeting with Chechen had been taking place. The movement took the van dangerously close to the approaching wall separating the exit from the rest of the garage, and Bruce tugged urgently on the saw to try and get free before he was squashed like a bug.

He barely got his arm out before the van reached the wall, and Bruce ended up smacking into the wall anyway but at least he survived the hit. Unfortunately, Scarecrow's van was also getting away, but Bruce simply grit his teeth as he forced his bruised and battered body up.

Moving over to the other side of the exit ramp, Bruce stood up onto the railings, peering down at the spiraling route that the exit ramp took all the way down to the ground level. He could hear Scarecrow's van as it screeched its way quickly down the spiraling route, trying to escape before Batman could catch up.

Bruce counted calmly, before he let himself fall off the edge of the railings. He landed feet first in a powerful crouch right on top of Scarecrow's van, the force of his fall and the weight of his armour crushing the van's roof instantly and smashing all the windows.

Scarecrow was forced to halt as Bruce smashed his arm through the shattered glass, before he hauled the former psychiatrist bodily out of the van.

* * *

 _Moments later_

Bruce finished cuffing and tying up all the men he'd caught that night – including his copycats – in one line on the side of the parking garage, before he pulled the Scarecrow mask off of Crane.

Now having confirmed that it was indeed the man that he and the rest of the GCPD had been chasing for the past nine months, Bruce turned to his copycats as he said severely in his deep Batman voice, "Don't let me find you out here again."

"We're trying to help you!" One of them – a large man though he didn't look too fit – protested as Bruce turned and walked away.

"I don't need help!" Bruce answered harshly as he got into his Batmobile.

"Not my diagnosis!" Crane called after him, grinning wildly like the insane man he was.

Bruce ignored that quip, though he couldn't ignore the next one as his copycat yelled after him, "What gives you the right? What's the difference between you and me?!"

"I'm not wearing hockey pads." Bruce snapped back as he disappeared into the Batmobile, before speeding away and leaving the group to be found by the police.

* * *

 _In another part of Gotham_

"I can't believe this is happening." Rebecca muttered as she arrived on the scene.

She'd been on her way home when Gordon had called her back in with the news that the Joker had struck again, this time at Gotham National Bank

The site was already secured, and a perimeter established around the bank and particularly around the large gaping hole in the doorway while people and news crew gathered around and tried to see what was going on.

"We're sure it's him?" Rebecca asked as she hurried up to where Gordon was just getting briefed on what had happened.

The officer who'd been speaking with Gordon nodded at her once in greeting, a gesture Rebecca answered, while Gordon turned to her with a sigh of his own.

"Yup." Gordon answered as he held up the single Joker card that had been left behind. "It's him."

"What are we looking at?" Rebecca asked, and the other officer explained, "Robbery; he took a whole bunch of cash. We're still counting the exact figure – but it's somewhere in the high fifty-millions. Possibly more."

"Well, at least we know he's not working for the mob." Gordon muttered under his breath, and Rebecca agreed. They'd been working on trying to narrow down mob-owned banks for weeks, and this had been one of them.

The other officer just shrugged as he continued, "Other than that, five dead, and one who's lost his mind. We managed to safely extract all the bank workers, who were holding grenades courtesy of this 'Joker'."

"Who are the dead and the crazy?" Rebecca questioned, and the officer answered, "Well, here's the even crazier thing – the five dead were his henchmen."

Neither Rebecca nor Gordon was too surprised while the officer continued, "All of them were wearing Bozo masks. We're getting them identified now, but it doesn't seem like they were any well-knowns. The bank workers have also confirmed they were definitely working with Joker, before they began shooting each other in the backs."

"They were probably trying to eliminate each other for larger share of the money again. He's good at manipulating them." Rebecca muttered, and Gordon asked, "And the one who went crazy?"

"The bank's manager." The officer replied. "He took a hit with some kind of weird gas, and now he's delusional."

"Is it the same as the fear gas that Crane developed last year?" Gordon asked instantly, frowning, but the officer shook his head.

"Blood test results aren't back yet, but I don't think it is." He admitted. "The guy seems more like he became unhinged due to his injuries and his encounter with the Joker."

"He was shot?" Rebecca asked, at the same time Gordon asked, "He _met_ the Joker?"

"Yeah, he was trying to shoot the Bozos but got shot instead." The officer told Rebecca before answering Gordon, "According to the other workers, who witnessed it, Joker spoke briefly with the manager before sticking a gas grenade in the man's mouth."

"Jesus." Rebecca muttered, and Gordon ordered, "I want blood tests just in case; and if something comes up in it, we investigate at once."

"Yes, sir." The officer answered, and Gordon turned to Rebecca as the officer walked away.

"Come on." He sighed, and the pair walked further into the bank, heading to check on the robbed vault.

"At least we had something prepared this time." Rebecca muttered as they walked, and Gordon nodded while Ramirez walked up to meet them.

She fell in step behind them as she handed Gordon a file, saying dryly, "He can't _resist_ showing us his face."

Gordon pulled out the photograph from one of the security cameras, which showed the Joker in all his painted face's glory as the mysterious man pressed his face close for a perfect shot, his wide, scarred smile as prominent as those dark, cold eyes..

Gordon sighed as he passed the picture and the file over to Rebecca, who skimmed through it in case there were any details that they hadn't been briefed on yet, while they walked into the half-emptied vault where the Joker had stolen the money from.

"What's he hiding under all that makeup?" Gordon wondered aloud, and Rebecca answered flatly, "Two wide scars, one on each side of his mouth – though I don't think he's really trying to hide them."

She tapped the red lipstick that the Joker always painted passed his lips and up onto his scarred cheeks, creating his ever-present Cheshire smile.

"Not funny, Dawes." Gordon muttered as he checked inside the vault.

Rebecca tossed the file onto a nearby trolley, using it as a makeshift table, as she also glanced about. The Joker had cleared everything out aside from a few piles of cash, leaving no other clues except for the Joker card he always left behind which was already bagged and sealed as evidence. There was little else in the entire bank, let alone the vault, and Rebecca somehow knew before even getting the autopsy results that there would be no leads in the dead henchmen. As usual. She sighed.

A small movement at the vault doorway behind her caught her eye and she turned before a tiny smile appeared on her face as her eyes fell on the figure that was suddenly standing there.

Gordon glanced over as well when he noticed her pause, and he raised a brow when he saw the Batman had arrived. Ramirez noticed the masked vigilante last, looking back when she saw Rebecca and Gordon staring, and the detective paused before glancing back at her superiors.

Gordon gave her a slight nod, and Ramirez left, taking all the other officers standing outside away with her as she called, "Can we get a minute, people?"

While Ramirez cleared the area for them, Rebecca picked up the folder again as she lifted the photograph of the Joker for Batman to see.

"Him again." Batman muttered, and Rebecca nodded.

Batman removed a small device from his utility belt, activating it as he asked, "What about the others?"

"Another bunch of small timers." Gordon confirmed, while he and Rebecca watched Batman scan one of the small piles of money left behind.

"Some of them the marked bills I gave you?" Batman questioned, and Gordon confirmed, "My detectives have been making drug buys with them for weeks. This bank was another drop for the mob – that makes five. We found the bulk of their dirty cash."

"Time to move in." Batman noted, but Rebecca shook her head as she pointed out, "We'd have to hit all the banks simultaneously. SWAT teams, backup – it'll take a bit of time for the police to organize."

Batman nodded, while Gordon gestured at the photograph in Rebecca's hand as he added, "And what about this Joker guy?"

"One man, or the entire mob?" Batman countered, while Rebecca glanced at the photograph again. "He can wait."

Gordon sighed but nodded in agreement, though he added in concern, "When the new DA hears about this, he'll want in."

"Do you trust him?" Batman asked, looking at the pair, and Gordon shrugged.

"Dawes can take that one." He suggested, pointing at Rebecca. "Her sister works with him, and she's met him under friendlier circumstances."

Batman looked at her, and Rebecca answered with a shrug of her own, "I think he's doing good, but it's a little early to say if he can be trusted."

Batman narrowed his eyes thoughtfully while Gordon added as he turned to glance around the vault, "Either way, it'll be hard to keep him out."

Rebecca raised a brow as she stared at the vault door while Gordon continued, "I hear he's about as stubborn as you are…"

He trailed off as he spotted the empty vault door, and he sighed.

"Again?" He asked Rebecca, and she answered, "Yup."

"You couldn't have told me?" Gordon pretended to scowl, and she pointed out, "He just left when you turned around. I still don't know how he does it."

"Me neither." Gordon muttered as Rebecca tucked the photograph of the Joker back into the folder. "Though I'd give anything to find out. Can you imagine if I used it on the Commissioner?"

"You'd get fired, Lieutenant." Rebecca answered with a laugh as she picked up the folder, and she and Gordon left the bank vault once more.


	15. Balancing Act

_The next morning_

Bruce sat pulling on the needle and tugging the thread tighter to make another stitch on the dog bite on his left bicep. He'd gotten in so late – or early, depending on how you looked at it – last night he hadn't bothered going back to his penthouse.

Instead, he remained in the new 'Batcave', which was more of a hidden bunker that housed the Batmobile and all the other Batman related things, as he worked on patching himself up after his fights last night. He hadn't even bothered changing out of the black T-shirt and cargo pants he wore under the Batman suit, too focused on planning what he needed to do the upcoming night.

Bruce had just made his second stitch when he heard the lift into the Batcave coming down behind him.

"It'll be nice when Wayne Manor is rebuilt."

Alfred's familiar British accent called out as the butler walked almost soundlessly across the large, mostly empty space towards Bruce, where he sat at his work desk.

"You can swap not sleeping in a penthouse," the elderly gentleman continued pointedly, "for not sleeping in a mansion."

Bruce didn't turn around as he focused on piercing the needle through his skin again, while Alfred added as he walked up behind him, "Whenever you stitch yourself up, you do make a bloody mess."

"Yeah." Bruce muttered, focused on his task as he pulled the needle through again. "It makes me learn from my mistakes."

"You're probably a master by now then."

Bruce's head shot up and he looked over as Rebecca stood behind Alfred, her brows raised as she examined Bruce's handiwork on his injury.

"You tattled on me?" Bruce asked, aghast, as he turned to look at Alfred.

But the old butler remained unapologetic as he answered, "Of course not, Master Wayne. Miss Dawes called the penthouse this morning and I simply saw no reason to lie, is all."

Bruce groaned while Rebecca placed her hands on his shoulders and Alfred took the needle from his young master after putting his spectacles on.

"Why didn't you just call my cell?" Bruce asked Rebecca, leaning back to look up at her as she stood behind him, and she answered pointedly, "Because you _would_ lie and say you're fine. I know Alfred will tell me the truth."

Bruce made a face that had nothing to do with Alfred stitching his arm.

"So, what happened?" Rebecca asked, nodding to Bruce's arm, and he explained with a sigh, "My armour – I'm carrying too much weight."

His face became more thoughtful as he added almost as though to himself, "I need to be faster."

Rebecca ran her hands gingerly across Bruce's shoulders, testing him while Alfred commented, "I'm sure Mr. Fox can oblige."

Seeing Bruce remain unflinching, Rebecca started to massage his uninjured shoulders and Bruce sighed in contentment as he leant back further into her touch. Alfred meanwhile frowned as he finished up on Bruce's wound.

"Did you get mauled by a tiger?" Alfred asked as he looked up at his charge, and Bruce muttered as he leant his head back onto Rebecca's stomach, "It was a dog."

"Huh?" Alfred asked at the same time Rebecca asked, "What?"

"It was a _big_ dog." Bruce defended, and Rebecca chuckled – clearly, his pride had been wounded.

She wrapped her arms around him, hugging his head as Alfred snipped the thread on the stitches. Bruce reached up with his right arm to return her embrace, and Rebecca cocked her head.

"What's wrong?" She asked Bruce, feeling his tension – and worry.

"There were more copycats last night." Bruce admitted. "With guns."

Rebecca winced, while Alfred answered lightly, "Why don't you hire them and take the weekend off."

Both Rebecca and Bruce snorted at that, Rebecca grinning at Alfred as the old butler winked at her. Bruce tried to remain serious, though he was smiling from Alfred's light joke, as he continued his earlier thought, "That wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I said I wanted to inspire people."

Rebecca smiled, kissing the top of Bruce's head as she answered, "We know. But don't be so hard on yourself. There have been a lot of good changes, too."

He gave her a small smile, while Alfred added encouragingly, "Less crime, more everyday heroes - look at the new District Attorney."

"I am." Bruce replied as he shifted in Rebecca's arms to click on one of his multiple computer screens, pulling up his files on the new DA, Harvey Dent. "Closely."

"You work fast." Rebecca noted as various footages – both public and some private – of Dent appeared on the screens.

"I've been watching him for a while now." Bruce explained. "Your and Gordon's words last night just made him higher priority. We need to be sure he can be trusted, especially if he's going to be included in the banks deal."

"I agree. And I think we can pretty much consider him included – he called Gordon to come down to his office later this afternoon. I have a feeling he's tired of being left out of the loop with the MCU and Batman." Rebecca said, before she frowned slightly as another thought occurred to her.

"Why were you already watching Harvey Dent, anyway?"

"He's the new DA – of course I'm watching him." Bruce shrugged, and Rebecca shrugged as she conceded, "True-"

She broke off as she saw something on the far right screen, and she raised a brow.

"Or, you were watching me." She said flatly, and Bruce glanced at the screen before he winced.

It was footage from a security camera in a hotel lobby, showing Rachel Dawes with Harvey Dent as the tall blond man shook hands with Rebecca.

Rebecca recognized it as the night Rachel had first introduced Harvey to her as her boyfriend, when they'd gotten a surprisingly friendly dinner together. Surprising, because Rebecca had heard a few stories about Harvey at the police station, particularly amongst the MCU (or Major Crimes Unit – i.e. her unit). Apparently, neither side liked the other very much and the feud even resulted in a rather unflattering nickname for the man who was now the new Gotham DA although Rebecca herself had never met Harvey before.

So she had been a little apprehensive, despite Rachel's reassurances, about meeting the man for dinner. However, Harvey had proven to be a decent guy (off the clock, at least) and Rebecca liked him for her sister.

She did _not,_ however, like the fact that Bruce was spying on her.

"You happened to be there." Bruce tried, and Rebecca warned, "Don't you dare lie to me, Bruce Wayne."

Bruce sighed, and Rebecca demanded incredulously, "Are you _actually_ spying on me?"

"Only to make sure you're safe when I can't see you." Bruce said defensively. "Besides, I miss seeing you."

"That's sweet, Bruce, but you could just call." Rebecca pointed out, annoyed, while Alfred wisely kept out of the quarrel.

He'd told Bruce several times that Rebecca probably wouldn't appreciate his 'monitoring', but Bruce hadn't listened… or he hadn't been able to help himself from doing it. Either option was equally likely with the billionaire.

Oh well, Alfred thought; he _had_ tried to warn the younger man.

"I _do_ call, but it's not the same as seeing you." Bruce argued, and Rebecca said in annoyance, "Then stop by the station or come see me between jobs – this is _stalking_ , Bruce."

Bruce grumbled, but Rebecca tugged slightly on his hair, forcing him to meet her unimpressed gaze.

"I mean it, Bruce – don't do it anymore." She warned, and Bruce pouted.

"Fine." He sighed, and she pressed, just like she had when they were children, "Pinky promise?"

Bruce made a face, but he agreed reluctantly, "Pinky promise."

"Good." Rebecca answered, and Bruce grumbled, "What are we, six years old?"

"You certainly sometimes act like it." Rebecca countered, though she leant down to press a kiss on him fondly.

Bruce answered immediately, kissing her back softly before she pulled back.

"You know I'm proud of you, right?" Rebecca checked. "Stalking aside," Bruce pulled a face again, "you've started an incredible change. And I'm so proud of you for what you've done; even if you drive me up the wall sometimes."

"It's only fair – I'm already crazy for you." Bruce tossed back cheekily, and Rebecca smacked his shoulder lightly in retaliation though her lips twitched.

He caught her hand, and gazed at her.

"You know I'm proud of you too, right?" Bruce asked. "You're more the hero than I am; I hide behind a mask at night but you're out there facing criminals with the police force. It's people like you and Dent who will make the difference in the long run. Not Batman."

Rebecca beamed and Bruce was rewarded with another sweet kiss. He smiled back at her as he reached up to brush her red curls back from her face fondly as he gazed back up at her from his chair; before he asked, "Hey, do you still have that file on the Joker from last night?"

"Yeah, why?" Rebecca asked, frowning, and Bruce explained, "I want to run a facial recognition scan on him."

"You know I'm not supposed to give civilians evidence." She joked, and he smirked back, "What about masked vigilantes?"

"Even worse – I could lose my badge." She teased as she kissed him one more time before she let go of him.

"I'll be right back." She called as she walked off back towards the lift up onto the surface where she and Alfred had parked their cars, hidden amongst the Wayne Enterprises container boxes near the docks where the Batcave was located.

Alfred meanwhile watched Bruce with raised brows as the brunette man waited until Rebecca was gone before he moved to the side to get changed.

"I trust you don't have me followed on my day off, sir." Alfred commented lightly, and Bruce scoffed, "If you ever _took_ one, I might."

"I doubt it, sir, since you don't try to hide or lie to me." Alfred remarked bluntly as Bruce removed his shirt, revealing the various bruises and cuts along his back and chest that he had sustained the previous night to add to his already numerous collection from the nights before that.

There were two particularly nasty looking bruises on his chest and below his left shoulder – below the area where Rebecca had been massaging him - and Alfred frowned at the injuries while Bruce sighed, "Don't start – and _please_ don't tell Becky about this. She worries enough as it is."

"And she's right to." Alfred replied gravely as he watched his young master with troubled eyes. "Know your limits, Master Wayne."

"Batman has no limits." Bruce countered just as firmly.

"Well you do, sir." Alfred persisted, peering at Bruce sternly over the tops of his spectacles, but Bruce just shrugged as he pulled on a white button-up

"Well, can't afford to know them." Bruce answered, and Alfred asked in a low voice, "And what's going to happen on the day that you find out?"

Bruce just shrugged again, and he answered, only half joking as he buttoned his shirt up quickly, "Well, we all know how you really like to say, 'I told you so'."

But Alfred remained serious as he answered, "On that day, Master Wayne, even I won't want to – probably."

He smiled slightly, trying to alleviate the mood as well now that his lecture was over, and Bruce grinned back; only to grimace as Rebecca asked as she arrived on the lift, "Won't want to what?"

"Tell me, 'I told you so'." Bruce answered, swiftly finishing buttoning his shirt as he turned to face his girlfriend while she walked up with the file in hand. "He's still lecturing me about monitoring you secretly."

"Is that right?" Rebecca asked with a sweet smile, and Bruce nodded.

She appeared not to question his excuse as she handed him the file, and Bruce took it with secret relief; when Rebecca observed casually, "So you weren't discussing the lovely bruise on your chest that you seem desperate to hide from me?"

Alfred grimaced while Bruce winced as he glanced down to see he hadn't buttoned up enough to hide the edges of the large purple bruise sitting just below his right collarbone.

"Bruce." Rebecca said severely, exasperated, and he said defensively, "I just don't want you to worry."

"Or you're afraid I'll break up with you if I keep seeing how battered you get every night?" Rebecca challenged, her blue eyes flashing angrily at him – again.

Bruce looked away sheepishly, and Rebecca snapped sharply, "I thought the reason I agreed to date you in the first place was so I wouldn't be kept in the dark!"

"I thought it was because you loved me." Bruce quipped, and Rebecca's eyes narrowed.

"Bruce, this isn't funny." She said quietly, and both Bruce and Alfred knew from her tone that he was in serious trouble now.

Rebecca was upset – and _hurt_ – and Bruce winced again while Alfred quietly slipped away as she continued in a low voice, "I thought we agreed you won't hide things from me. That we would trust each other."

"I _do_ trust you." Bruce murmured, mentally kicking himself, and Rebecca snapped as her hurt showed itself in anger once more, "You sure have a funny way of showing it. First you spy on me, and then you lie to me. It's not even the first time! You've not once been honest with me about your work or even your injuries in the nine months that we've been together!"

"Becky, I just…" Bruce sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Yes, he probably should have learnt his lesson by now – Rebecca was right, and this hadn't even been their first fight on the matter either. Yet, every time, he continued to shield her from what he did outside of police knowledge, and from knowing the full extent of his injuries despite having been caught at least once a week – for all of the last nine months.

"I just don't want to lose you because of this." Bruce said softly, and Rebecca exhaled sharply.

"You won't." She answered shortly, having gotten her temper back under control. "Now, let me see, instead of you trying to hide it until you get back to the penthouse."

Bruce nodded mutely as he removed his shirt again, watching as Rebecca sighed when she took in all his injuries.

"It's a miracle you haven't gotten that many scars yet." Rebecca muttered as she moved to grab the medical kit.

"Well, most of the injuries tend to be bruises." Bruce muttered. "The Kevlar suit does a good job of keeping most everything else away from my body."

"Besides dogs apparently." Rebecca answered rather flatly as she began dabbing medicine on the various bruises all over his back.

Bruce just sat still as she worked, watching her as she moved slowly around his body towards his chest.

"You're taking _this_ better than I thought you would." Bruce admitted, gesturing at his various wounds. "I thought you'd be more… upset about it."

"I _am_ upset you're hurt." Rebecca muttered as she moved across his left side, which looked distinctly worse than his right. "I'm just angrier you lied."

"I was worried you'd tell me to stop." Bruce confessed.

Rebecca glanced up at him at that as she pointed out, "Well, it _would_ be really hypocritical of me to tell you not to go around kicking bad guys's asses when I go around doing that as part of my job. Don't you think?"

"… Touché." Bruce murmured.

He'd thought about something similar before: asking Rebecca to give up her dangerous work as a Sergeant Detective. But he would always come to the same conclusion Rebecca apparently had: it was too hypocritical, no matter how he angled it. Bruce just hadn't really thought about it from her perspective, and that she might think the same way he did.

"You could try actually trusting me, Bruce." Rebecca commented dryly as she moved to dab more ointment on a scratch on his right chest, right near the shoulder. "And I mean that as more than with your secret – I mean trusting me not to hurt you."

Bruce caught her hand, bringing it to the centre of his chest. Rebecca looked up, meeting his intense brown eyes as Bruce said softly, "I do trust you; and I _will_ do better to show it, Becky - I promise. I gave you my heart, and I trust you with it."

"Good." Rebecca murmured as he drew her closer. "Because I gave you my heart as well, Bruce – so please stop trying to keep me out."

"I'm learning how to." Bruce answered quietly. "And I'll get better."

"We both will." Rebecca corrected quietly, smiling slightly with a hint of apology in her eyes for losing her temper with him.

Bruce nodded as he brought her into his arms as he pressed his lips onto hers, and Rebecca ran her hand softly over his scarred and bruised body as she kissed him back, each of them showing the other exactly how much they loved each other.


	16. Harvey Dent

Rebecca actually managed to get home earlier than her sister that night – though, with Rachel now dating Harvey that was a slightly more frequent event.

Slightly, because Rebecca had been pulling later nights more often as Sergeant because of the incidents with the Joker, the mob, and trying to squeeze in some time to see Bruce more than once a week.

However, this night she had called off early and – since Bruce apparently had a date planned as 'Bruce Wayne' – she was able to just fully relax at home. Rachel also had a date with Harvey, so Rebecca truly was free to enjoy the whole evening alone for once.

Did it bother her that Bruce still 'dated' other women? Yes. Was she going to kick up a fuss? No. Rebecca knew the small feelings of jealousy and – honestly – irritation wouldn't ever fade; and if they did, she'd frankly be more worried about her relationship with Bruce.

However, Rebecca trusted Bruce so she kept her small, uglier feelings in the corner of her heart where even she could mostly ignore them. It did help that there were rumours going around that notorious playboy Bruce Wayne was becoming rather difficult to extract kisses from.

Rebecca didn't know where some of the women in the police station got the information from – possibly the gossipy cafe ladies around Gotham City, who probably heard it from somewhere else along the grapevine – but the rumours had started growing persistently over the past few months. Nine months, to be exact.

And Rebecca would be lying if she said that didn't help her ego a bit.

Though, she noted as she glanced at a picture of Rachel and Harvey pinned to their fridge, she did feel small pangs when her sister discussed her relationship with Harvey. Not just the same feelings of jealousy that Rachel could date her man so happily and openly, but the stronger feelings of guilt made Rebecca rather nervous around Rachel lately.

The Dawes sisters had always shared things together, having grown up mostly with just the two of them and Bruce. And after their mother had passed away from illness and Bruce had disappeared for years, their bond had only gotten stronger.

So to hide her feelings and relationship with Bruce from Rachel was starting to stress Rebecca out, especially since Rachel was so eager to share news with her sister. And though Rebecca suspected Rachel had already guessed her feelings for Bruce, there was no way Rebecca could explain her relationship with Bruce without explaining Batman.

She could just picture Rachel's face if she had to explain the fact that she was actually dating Bruce despite the fact that he was seen 'dating' every supermodel, actress, and – his latest – prima ballerina that passed through Gotham.

Rebecca winced – actually, even knowing the truth, it sounded really bad. If it weren't for the fact that the Batman was a heavy responsibility to the wearer of the mantle and a symbol of increasing hope, it literally sounded like a bad excuse a playboy would use to keep his naïve mistress around. Never mind that he told her about each date before he went on one.

Rebecca sighed as she laid her head back on the back of her living room couch. Oh well; it was what she'd signed up for when she'd agreed to date Bruce Wayne and Batman. Still, she wondered if there was any way she could tell Rachel the truth without the whole truth.

She didn't think Bruce would really mind telling Rachel about Batman; but the more people there were who knew Batman's identity, the more dangerous it could only get. Not only that, Rebecca was well aware that knowing Batman's identity itself could be potentially dangerous, considering how many enemies he was making. It was what Bruce worried about with her, and what Rebecca worried about for Rachel.

' _It's an endless cycle; there just isn't a good answer._ ' Rebecca groaned as she ruffled her red curls in frustration.

She then jumped as the front door slammed open, and Rebecca looked over – startled – as Rachel strode in, looking incredibly annoyed.

"Rach? Is everything okay?" Rebecca asked, wondering what could have gone wrong with her date. Had Harvey done something? If he had hurt her sister-

"No, it's not okay!" Rachel fumed. "You'll never believe who crashed my date with Harvey tonight."

Rebecca frowned, bewildered, before she suddenly realized-

"Bruce!" Rachel yelled, slamming her handbag down irritably while Rebecca hung her head.

' _Why, Bruce, why?_ ' Rebecca asked mentally. ' _Why did you have to crash Rachel's_ date _to try and meet Harvey?_ '

Rachel was still ranting as she took off her heels and jewelry, "He even brought along his own date – the prima ballerina for the Moscow ballet, which is in town for the next week or so. At least she wasn't a complete airhead – she made some valid points about Batman and his vigilante position."

Rebecca winced – another reason she didn't want to tell Rachel Bruce was really Batman. Her sister didn't agree with Batman taking the law into his own hands.

"She actually had a pretty good argument against Harvey." Rachel was continuing. "I'm surprised Harvey supports Batman though – I would have thought he would be the most against it. Although, thinking back, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. Harvey's passionate for justice, and Batman _does_ do that, even I'll admit that."

Rebecca raised a brow at this revelation, while Rachel shook her head as she added vehemently, "And it's more than I can say about Bruce. He just sat there, barely contributing! I _know_ he's not stupid or as airheaded as he acts sometimes; but soon, I swear it won't be an act, but the real him if he continues to choose to be ignorant!"

Rebecca just let Rachel continue as the brunette gained steam, "But still, he dared to feign surprise at seeing me at the hotel restaurant, when I know exactly why he was there. He just _had_ to go all big brother on me."

Rebecca made a noncommittal sound – she didn't doubt that was _part_ of Bruce's motivation – while Rachel continued angrily, "We barely even speak anymore! I mean, okay, we're still friends after he apologized to us after the whole Arkham and Crane thing; but he had no right to ruin my date!"

"Yeah, he _really_ shouldn't have." Rebecca agreed, mentally sighing, while Rachel paused midway off putting away her heels.

"He did offer to throw Harvey a fundraiser though." Rachel conceded grudgingly.

Rebecca turned to her in surprise, as Rachel added thoughtfully, "Though it's weird – since when did he care what the rest of the city did? Or do you think he was just being belatedly nice to make up for ruining my date?"

"Who knows?" Rebecca answered, and Rachel shot her a look.

"Don't give me that, you're still his best friend." Rachel pointed out. "If anyone knows what was going through Bruce's head, it's you – you, or Alfred."

"Thanks." Rebecca commented lightly. "At least you put me in good company."

"You know what I mean." Rachel sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I know you… care for Bruce, and I'm not exactly helping when I tell you about his date. Even if he was technically crashing mine."

"It's fine." Rebecca reassured. "I told you it's not like that with Bruce. And I promise I'll tell him not to crash your date again the next time I go talk to him."

Rachel had raised a skeptical brow at Rebecca's – admittedly weak – excuse that she didn't have special feelings for Bruce, but the brunette let it go. She knew Rebecca wasn't going to be honest, which Rachel chalked up to be a case of severe denial.

So instead, she said to Rebecca, "Please do. And tell him I won't be as nice next time he tries it."

Rebecca just nodded, watching Rachel walk into her bedroom before she dropped her head into her hands. She could feel the migraine coming – she could actually _feel_ it creeping up.

As much as she loved Bruce and wouldn't trade him for the world, he was certainly talented at making her life more difficult than it had to be.

* * *

 _Early the next morning_

"So, I take it you liked Harvey, then?" Rebecca noted casually as she sat across from Bruce at the table. "Since you offered to throw him a fundraiser."

They were at his penthouse for once, Bruce having actually stayed in the prior night after spending the evening with his 'date'... and Rachel and Harvey. Rebecca had stopped by for breakfast with him, both to spend time with Bruce and to speak with him before her job later that very day.

"Yeah." Bruce agreed, chewing thoughtfully on Alfred's heavenly omelet while Rebecca buttered her toast. "I liked his spirit – his passion. He wants to do what's right for Gotham; he even went so far as to say that the Batman was elected by all of Gotham's citizens who stood by and let the criminals take control."

"Nice boost to your ego." Rebecca teased.

But Bruce shook his head as he said seriously, "Becky, don't you see? This could be it. Harvey locked up half of the city's criminals, _without_ wearing a mask. He's-"

"Gotham's 'White Knight'?" Rebecca asked, quoting the press's title for Harvey Dent.

Bruce nodded as he finished firmly, "And that's what Gotham really needs. A real hero, and who can really become a face of hope. Someone who the people can relate to, but who is honest and upright; a role model."

"And what about the Batman?" Rebecca inquired, and Bruce answered, "He can lay down his mantle. Maybe he'll always be a symbol to the people, but right now Gotham needs more that that - they need a man to lead them. And then I don't have to keep pretending Bruce Wayne's this self-absorbed, spoilt rich boy."

He reached across the table, taking Rebecca's hand in his as he added softly, "I can finally tell the world you're _my_ girlfriend. And I can be the guy you can proudly go out in public with."

"Well, at least I know you're thinking about me as well." Rebecca joked, though she had a small smile on her face as she squeezed Bruce's hand. "And I have to admit, that life _sounds_ amazing."

Bruce met her gaze with his own piercing brown eyes as he said seriously, "We'll get there; it's the least you deserve. I just need to ask you to wait a little longer until we get there."

Rebecca's lips curved up and she answered softly, "I told you before – I'll _always_ wait for you, Bruce."

"You shouldn't have to." He countered firmly.

Rebecca sighed to herself. Somehow, she doubted it would be all that easy – not least of all because she wasn't as certain as Bruce was that he would be able to give up being Batman. The day when _he_ would no longer need the Batman didn't seem as close as he thought the day _Gotham_ wouldn't need Batman was.

But she kept that to herself for now, seeing that she only had a maximum of ten minutes before she had to go.

"Just remember, I'll always be here." Rebecca said instead as she squeezed his hand, and Bruce smiled.

"And remember you always have this." He answered as he pressed his other hand to his chest to indicate his heart.

Rebecca smiled back at him, before Bruce nodded at the clock.

"You need to go." He noted wryly, and she nodded back.

"By the way, don't think you're going to get away with ruining Rachel's date just because you flattered her boyfriend." Rebecca added as they both stood from the table. "You're still going to have to at least make it up to her."

"I'm throwing her boyfriend a fundraiser." Bruce protested.

But Rebecca gave him a pointed look as she said, "You're doing that because you believe it's the right thing to do."

"Fine, fine, I'll apologize." Bruce sighed, rolling his eyes as Rebecca grinned and kissed his jaw.

"Thank you." Rebecca smiled, while Bruce pretended to sulk.

"That's all I get?" He joked, and Rebecca laughed as she grabbed her jacket, protective vest, and gun holster from where it was hanging by the elevator leading into the penthouse.

"Considering I really have to get going, yes that's all you get." She answered cheekily, and Bruce had to grin.

It dropped to a slight frown as he added while Rebecca shrugged her gear on, "What's happening today that you need extra protection and your gun ready?"

"We're going in after the mob's cash." Rebecca explained, and Bruce's brow shot up. "Harvey got us the warrants to search the five banks in record time."

"And you're going in today?" Bruce asked, gazing at her worriedly, and Rebecca asked with a small smile, "Are you seriously worrying about me, Batman?"

"Of course I'm worrying about the love of my life." He answered, looking down at her sternly. "Promise you'll be careful?"

"I won't do anything you wouldn't." Rebecca promised as she kissed him quickly before getting into the elevator.

"That's not really reassuring." Bruce called after her, and she shouted back as the doors closed, "So you _are_ aware of it!"

Bruce shook his head, though he couldn't stop the small chuckle that escaped him. She really did drive him crazy sometimes – though it was usually in the good way.

But his smile faded quickly as he thought about what she was going to be doing today, and he sighed again.

' _This must be how Alfred feels like whenever he's waiting up for me._ ' Bruce thought to himself as he moved towards the lounge, naturally gravitating towards the television where he could keep an eye on the news. ' _How on earth does he do it?_ '

* * *

 _Some time later_

Rebecca pulled up in front of one of the banks sharply, quickly slipping out onto the street with the SWAT team.

She waved to the ground team to follow her, and the team moved quickly, guns held at the ready. A few of the SWAT guys set up a perimeter while the main team snuck into the bank, and TAC teams stood ready to support at a moment's notice as Rebecca and her team moved swiftly through the bank.

Rebecca kept her gun held before her, always keeping it ready to be fired as she turned the corners down several hallways towards the central vaults. One of the SWAT guys stuck with her, holding the device that tracked the marked bills, while the others spread out to gain coverage in case of a fight.

As everything remained quiet, Rebecca frowned – could it actually be this easy? She checked with her SWAT guy, and he nodded as he confirmed the money was still in the vault coming up at the very heart of the bank.

Rebecca waved her men around as they all gathered around the indicated vault, the defense team setting up a barrier line first in case as they slowly opened the vault.

Rebecca held her gun pointed in front of her, ready to fire at the first notice, and her eyes widened as the door to the vault was fully opened.

"Sh*t." She breathed as the entire team lowered their guns, staring with disbelief inside the vault… the _empty_ vault.

"Sh*t!" Rebecca swore, waving in her team to make sure all the money really was gone. Although she knew in her hearts of hearts that they'd been outwitted, it was procedure to check the vault thoroughly so she let her team look in every nook and cranny for a potential hiding spot while she grabbed her police radio.

"Lieutenant Gordon?" She called tightly, and he replied furiously, "Don't tell me – it's gone?"

"Yes, sir." Rebecca confirmed, glancing down at where a small collection of bills had been placed in a line in the middle of the otherwise stripped vault - the marked bills they had been chasing, and the only bills left behind.

"Son of a gun!" Gordon snarled. "Yours is the third already, Dawes. Ramirez just radioed in seconds before you to report the same thing."

"They got us." Rebecca growled, and Gordon exploded, "They didn't just get us – this-!"

He cut himself off abruptly, though Rebecca could still hear his angry breathing.

She wisely didn't point out his near slip, simply listening with a clenched jaw as Gordon barked, "Meet me back at the station tonight, Sergeant. Until then, search the area - find whatever you can and I want to hear whatever you've got when you report in."

"Yes, sir." Rebecca answered, and though she couldn't quite keep her own bitter disappointment out of her voice she managed to at least keep her tone mostly neutral and professional.

This wasn't the time for her and Gordon to vent or exchange theories. They could discuss that later, when they were safely within trusted company because if they'd ever needed proof there were still moles in the police and justice departments, this failed bust was certainly it.


	17. New Suits

_That night_

Gordon stormed towards the roof, gnashing his teeth angrily, while Rebecca followed, also fuming.

She had reported in as ordered, but as expected they had found almost nothing. Everything they did find led to the Chinese businessman Lau, but he'd already left the country by the time they'd arrived at the banks. By the time they'd worked out he had been the one behind the mob's finances, he was already long outside their jurisdiction. But that was just the beginning of their worries.

Obviously, Lau had been tipped off well in advance of their imminent strike; the only question was, who was the mole, or moles? The whole plan had been kept pretty tightly under wraps, and Rebecca could probably count on her fingers the number of people who could have informed the mob early enough for them to move this quickly.

And given that she was certain she could cross off at least three if not four of those people (including herself)...

Gordon threw open the roof door, his eyes narrowing as he spotted Harvey Dent and Batman already there, the former having gone ahead and switched on the Bat Signal.

Both men turned to face the latest arrivals as Gordon strode forward to shut the Signal off while Rebecca remained closer to the doorway.

"Lau's halfway to Hong Kong." Harvey snapped at her and Gordon, as if they didn't know it already. "If you'd have asked, I could have taken his passport! I told you to keep me in the loop!"

"All that was left in the vaults were _marked bills_." Gordon snarled back as he turned to face Harvey. "They _knew_ we were coming! As soon as your office got involved-!"

" _My_ office?!" Harvey interrupted sharply, bristling at the accusation. "You're sitting down there," he jabbed at the station below their feet, "with scum like Wuertz and Ramirez, and you're talking-"

He broke off, his eyes narrowing as he said in a mockingly sincere tone, "Oh yeah, Gordon. I almost had your rookie cold on a racketeering beef!"

"Okay, boys, that's enough!" Rebecca cut in before Gordon could retort.

"Harvey, we know that not everyone in the GCPD is completely clean, _including_ in the MCU." She added as Harvey began to open his mouth. "But if we chased them out, we wouldn't have a team, period, and that's even less efficient. Just like you can't flush out everyone in your team either."

As Harvey started to speak again, Rebecca carried on pointedly, "We can dig for moles later – right now, our priority should be getting to Lau."

Harvey's jaw clenched, but he had to agree with the logic in her statement; so instead of griping some more, he turned to Batman – who had been silent through the whole exchange – and he explained, "We need Lau back, but the Chinese won't extradite a national under any circumstances."

"If I get him for you," Batman countered, "can you get him to talk?"

"I'll get him to sing." Harvey answered without missing a beat, his blue eyes steely with promise.

"We're going after the mob's _life_ savings." Gordon interjected, looking at Harvey in particular. "Things will get ugly."

Harvey turned to face Gordon seriously as he replied firmly, "I knew the risks when I took this job, Lieutenant."

The blond man then turned back towards Batman as he began, "How will you get him back, any-?"

He broke off, blinking as he looked around at the now empty space on the rooftop, Batman having disappeared sometime during Harvey's speech. Harvey turned back to Rebecca and Gordon incredulously, but the two officers just shrugged.

"He does that." Gordon informed the younger man with all the tried patience of a man who had been through what Dent was feeling many, many times.

* * *

 _The next night_

"Wow." Bruce winced as Rebecca dragged herself into the Batcave. "Rough nights?"

"You have no idea." She groaned as she slumped down into Bruce's desk chair. "Gordon's got the whole office working around the clock – to at least put up the pretense that we're still looking for the mob's cash – while he and I are digging for those moles."

"So you haven't been sleeping?" Bruce asked in concern, and Rebecca teased tiredly, "Guess it's my turn."

Bruce moved to massage her shoulders for her, and Rebecca leant back into his touch with a sigh.

"That feels good." She hummed appreciatively, and Bruce chuckled.

"Want me to make you feel even better?" He asked teasingly, his grin widening as Rebecca shot him a look. "I'm just messing with you, Becky."

"I know." She answered as she leant back into his hands again as he worked the knots out of her shoulder muscles. "But I do get the feeling you're not joking sometimes."

"Becky, we've talked about this." Bruce reminded her as she tilted her head back up to look at him. "Until things slow down around us, I promised you we'd take _us_ slowly."

"I know." Rebecca repeated, stressing the words to emphasize that she wasn't feeling pressured. "I guess you could say it's because sometimes… I don't want you to be just joking either."

Bruce raised a brow, before he smirked as he answered cheekily, "Well, it probably is hard for you to keep your hands off this."

He gestured at his t-shirt and jeans clad body, and Rebecca rolled her eyes as she jabbed him playfully with her elbow.

"Yes, Bruce; I just can't keep my hands off your expensive shirt." She joked; because even though it was a plain black shirt, knowing Bruce, it probably still cost more than the average person's whole outfit.

"You're sure it isn't that you want my expensive shirt _off_?" Bruce quipped back, and he pretended to bend over in pain when Rebecca jabbed him again.

"Ow…" He whined, winking at her, and Rebecca laughed. "Kiss me better?"

"You're impossible." Rebecca laughed, though she obliged him.

Bruce kissed her back enthusiastically, his 'pain' gone as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to the edge of the chair so that she was closer to him while he deepened their kiss.

"Master Wayne – oh."

Rebecca laughed as she broke away from Bruce while he groaned.

"Can't you knock, Alfred?" Bruce complained as he turned to look at the elderly butler, who answered dryly, "I would if there was an actual door, Master Wayne."

"This is starting to not even be embarrassing any more." Rebecca chuckled while Bruce continued to grumble and Alfred walked up.

"I have everything you requested, sir, and Mr. Fox delivered the new suit here as well." Alfred explained as he walked over, wheeling a large trunk and smaller box on a porter's trolley while he carried some rolls of paper under his arm.

"The new suit?" Rebecca asked, perking up with interest, while Bruce said, "Okay, let's put it here for now."

Alfred moved to place the case on one side of the room, while Rebecca stood up, pulling an amused Bruce with her as she walked over to the case curiously.

"What is it like?" Rebecca asked, and Bruce chuckled as he clicked the case open.

"The Kevlar plates have been hardened onto a titanium-dipped fibre tri-weave." Bruce explained. "It's lighter so I can be faster – more agile."

"Okay, I only really understood the second part of that, but at least that part sounds good." Rebecca said wryly as she ran her hand over the new suit, while Alfred nodded with more understanding of the more technical explanations.

However, even Rebecca could feel the metal on the suit was lighter, and smoother – the design more compact than before, and she admired the fine weave as Bruce continued, "The spread also gives me more flexibility."

"So you can turn your head now, sir?" Alfred asked with a cheeky smile, and Rebecca laughed while Bruce snorted.

"I'm glad you found it so amusing." He muttered, and Rebecca teased, "Well, I like it – the old design _did_ make kissing you in your suit an interesting experience at times."

It was Alfred's turn to snort now while Bruce pulled Rebecca into his arms, cradling her back against his chest so he could snuggle his face into the crook of her neck, burying his head in her red hair.

"I didn't hear you complaining." He muttered as he inhaled the familiar, soft smell of vanilla and coffee, and Rebecca shrugged.

"I wasn't." She answered lightly, and Bruce laughed while Alfred shook his head fondly at the pair.

He then frowned at the suit slightly as he asked, "Won't the spread of the plates increase your weak spots, though, Master Wayne?"

Rebecca frowned as she realized Alfred was right, while Bruce shrugged.

"It's a trade-off that I'm willing to make." Bruce answered easily. "The suit's a little more vulnerable to knives and gunfire, but now I can move faster to avoid situations where I _would_ be getting stabbed."

"You can't avoid everything all the time, though." Rebecca murmured in concern, but Bruce answered firmly, "I'll be careful. I promised, Becky; and I'm a keeper of my word."

She smiled slightly, relaxing as Bruce kissed her temple fondly, while Alfred nodded as he agreed with Bruce, "I suppose I have to agree with you, sir; the weak points will be a small price to pay for improved agility."

"Exactly." Bruce nodded, and Rebecca asked, "Is there anything else you'd care to show us, Batman?"

Alfred smiled, while Bruce chuckled again though he did nod.

"There's also this." Bruce answered as he lifted one of the gauntlets, where the scallops were now hidden inside until popped out.

He then clicked another part, and Rebecca jumped slightly as the scallops went flying out like shurikens.

The blades imbedded themselves in the target on the other side of the room, and Rebecca admitted as she recovered from her surprise, "That _is_ cool."

Bruce smiled, before turning to Alfred.

"Did you find what I asked you for, Alfred?" He asked, getting down to business again.

Rebecca leant back into Bruce, entwining her left hand absently with his as Alfred pulled the smaller box onto the worktable, explaining, "This is the parachute harness."

Bruce leant around Rebecca to pick the harness up with his right hand, examining it, while Alfred unrolled his papers as he continued, "As for the 'Sky Hook' program plane, I found one. In Arizona."

He showed the plan to Bruce, who leant over to look it over as Alfred continued, "Very nice man says it will take him a week to get it running. _And_ he takes cash."

Bruce nodded, satisfied, while Rebecca asked with a puzzled frown, "What's a 'Sky Hook' program?"

"The CIA developed it in the '60s." Alfred explained. "It was used to pull people up onto a plane without having to _land_ the plane first."

"Okay…" Rebecca said warily.

Bruce hugged her soothingly, and Rebecca passed over voicing repetitive worries as she just said, "I think I'd rather not know."

Alfred nodded before he looked at Bruce as he commented, "However, we don't have a flight crew."

"I got that." Bruce answered. "South Korean smugglers – they run flights into Pyongyang, below radar the whole way."

He then looked back at Alfred as he added, "Did you think of an alibi?"

"Yes, I did." Alfred answered, with an apologetic glance towards Rebecca.

She knew that look, as did Bruce, and he made a face while Rebecca muttered, "Well, at least you won't _actually_ be spending the whole time with her - since you'll apparently be parachuting off and then back on a flying plane."

"With them." Alfred corrected, before Bruce could reply, causing both Bruce and Rebecca to raise their brows.

"'Them'?"

* * *

 _One week later_

Rebecca shook her head in amusement as she looked at the article in the daily paper.

'Love Boat: Billionaire Absconds With Entire Russian Ballet,' the title screamed. There was also a picture of said 'boat' which was more of a very expensive yacht, and a picture of Bruce coming out of Wayne Tower, dressed to the nines because the paps couldn't get close enough to the yacht to take pictures of Bruce supposedly hanging out with a whole troupe of ballerinas.

And Rebecca knew if they hadn't gotten one before this morning, they weren't going to be able to get one at all. Alfred had sent her a message earlier that afternoon to let her know Bruce had safely boarded his plane and was on his way to Hong Kong, since Bruce couldn't risk jeopardizing his mission by sending any calls or messages.

Now, all they could do was wait for Batman to deliver on his promise to bring in Lau; well, that was all Gordon and Harvey could do. Rebecca and Alfred also prayed Bruce would come back safe and mostly intact.

She put down the paper and was just getting back to work when her phone beeped; and Rebecca glanced over to see it was a message from Rachel.

'Are you busy?' It read, and Rebecca frowned.

Putting aside the case file she'd been working on – despite it being the weekend – she called her sister.

"What's up, Rach?" Rebecca asked, and Rachel answered irritably, "Nothing too much; I just need someone to vent to, so if you're busy I can wait."

"No, it's all right." Rebecca reassured. "It's technically dinner time so I can afford to call my sister at least."

"Did you see the article about Bruce?" Rachel asked, and Rebecca glanced at said article lying under her files on her desk.

"Yeah?" She answered, and Rachel exhaled sharply as she admitted, "Harvey was going to take me to see the ballet tonight – except, obviously, it got cancelled after a certain billionaire took off with the _entire_ cast."

Oh. Rebecca winced.

"I'm sorry, Rach." Rebecca said sincerely, and Rachel grumbled, "I mean, Harvey's being really sweet about it and taking me to a nice dinner instead - he's gone to fetch the car right now, by the way – but I just needed to vent my frustration right now."

"I'm sorry, again, Rachel." Rebecca said sympathetically. "You don't seem to be having much luck in your dates thanks to Bruce."

"Next time, I think _I'm_ going to ask him what his deal is." Rachel huffed. "You'd think he was doing it on purpose."

'… _I can't tell her it's actually because he's Batman and she just happened to be dating Harvey Dent._ ' Rebecca thought, feeling that headache again.

"Anyway, sorry, I just needed to get it off my chest." Rachel sighed. "How are you doing, by the way? We don't see each other enough lately."

"Well, with you being assistant DA and dating Harvey, and me being Sergeant of the MCU, I think we're lucky we still see each other at all." Rebecca joked and Rachel laughed.

"That _is_ true." She admitted. "I guess that means when you get a boyfriend, we might end up never seeing each other."

And there was the guilt again. Rebecca winced to herself but kept her tone light as she answered, "Maybe you shouldn't be crossing your fingers for it to happen, then, Rach."

"I still say you should find a good guy – someone better than Bruce." Rachel answered. "Someone who'll only look at you, and treats you like the darling you are. Someone-"

"-Like Harvey?" Rebecca teased; and also to cut her sister off. Rachel's rant on why Bruce was supposedly not a good 'crush' was only making Rebecca feel the need to defend Bruce – which, in turn, reminded her of her guilt for withholding information from her sister.

"Yes, like Harvey." Rachel admitted. "It's too bad he doesn't have a brother or something."

Rebecca made a face as she answered, "Thanks, Rach, but you can keep Harvey Dent; and I'll be fine."

"Sure you will." Rachel answered. "Oh, oops, Harvey's here. Gotta go – love you, Becky."

"Love you too, Rach." Rebecca answered, before sighing as Rachel hung up on her.

' _I need coffee._ ' She thought tiredly. ' _All this back and forth is making my head spin._ '

* * *

 _The next morning_

Rebecca was still working, as was most of the rest of the MCU, when Ramirez came running into the office.

"Lieutenant!" She called urgently as she ran passed everyone else to Gordon's office, knocking on his door while Gordon looked up. "You'll want to see this!"

He blinked, before his eyes widened as he thought he could guess what it might be. He and Rebecca exchanged looks as they all hurried up out of their seats, rushing out of the building to where Ramirez had been gesturing.

Rebecca had to smile slightly as she and Gordon stopped, right outside the station, where Lau was sitting – trussed up like a turkey – with a note taped to his chest: 'Please Deliver to Lieutenant Gordon.'

Gordon was also fighting a smile as he nodded for the other officers to take Lau and bring him into the station, but when he met eyes with Rebecca once more, the pair couldn't help but share their amused smiles.

Batman had made good on his promise; and Rebecca was relieved that at least it appeared Bruce had gotten back all right.


	18. Justice

Rebecca stood with Gordon and Harvey behind the two-way mirror of the interrogation room as Rachel paced before Lau and the Chinese man's lawyer.

"Give us the money, and we'll deal." Rachel demanded firmly, but Lau retorted flatly, "The _money_ is the only reason I'm still alive."

Rachel pretended to be surprised as she asked pointedly, "You mean when they find out that you've helped us, they're going to kill you?"

"Are you threatening my client?" Lau's lawyer demanded instantly, but Rachel was good at what she did.

"No." She answered archly as she settled down before Lau. "I'm just assuming your client's cooperation with the investigation."

She looked right at Lau as she added pointedly, "As will everyone."

Lau stared back at her, tight-lipped, and Rachel asked, "No?"

As Lau continued to sit silently, Rachel shrugged as she said lightly, "Okay."

Gotham's best assistant DA stood up, making to leave the room as she said casually over her shoulder, "Enjoy your time in County, Mr. Lau."

She hadn't even gotten five steps, before Lau finally called, "Wait."

Rebecca leaned forward intently, watching as Rachel turned back to face Lau as the man said carefully, "I won't give you the money. But I _will_ give you my clients. All of them."

Rebecca lifted her brow, while inside the interrogation room Rachel folded her arms as she returned skeptically, "You were a glorified accountant; what could you possibly have on _all_ of them that we could charge?"

"I'm _good_ with calculation." Lau answered as he met Rachel's challenging stare evenly. "I handled all their investments. One bit pot."

Harvey hit the button instantly, letting Rachel know he had something, while he murmured, "Got it."

Both Gordon and Rebecca turned to the DA in surprise, while Rachel told Lau, "One minute."

She left the room, coming around to join the others as Harvey explained to the two police officers, "RICO. If they pooled their money, we can charge all of them as one criminal conspiracy."

Rebecca frowned while Gordon asked skeptically, "Charge them with _what?_ "

"In a RICO case," Harvey explained, "if you can charge one of the conspirators with a felony, we can-"

"-Charge all of them with it." Rachel realized. "That's great!"

She spun around and headed excitedly back towards the interrogation room, though she masked her feelings when she returned to face Lau.

"Will it really work?" Gordon asked Harvey, while Rebecca piped up, "What about the money, though?"

Harvey grimaced, while inside the interrogation room, Rachel announced, "Mr. Lau. What kind of details do you have about this communal fund? Ledgers, notebooks-?"

"Immunity," Lau cut across her firmly, "protection, and a chartered plane back to Hong Kong."

"After you testify in open court." Rachel answered without skipping a beat. "And I'm just curious, but with all your clients locked up, what's gonna happen with all that money?"

Lau smiled slightly as he answered smugly, "Like I said – I'm good with calculation."

"He can't go to County." Gordon muttered, and Harvey glanced over. "I'm keeping him here in the holding cells."

"What is this, Gordon, your fortress?" Harvey answered sarcastically, and Rebecca sighed as Gordon argued back, "You trust them over at County?"

"I don't trust them here." Harvey shot back as he looked Gordon in the eye, and Rebecca interrupted warningly, "Lieutenant, Counselor – please."

Harvey pursed his lips as Gordon thinned his own, before the latter said quietly but firmly, "Lau stays."

And both Rebecca and Harvey knew there was nothing more to be said.

"It's your call, Lieutenant." Harvey muttered as he turned back to watch the interrogation. "Be right."

"… I am, Counselor." Gordon answered, while Rebecca pursed her own lips as she watched Rachel and Lau work out their deal.

* * *

 _The next day_

Bruce was already smiling in anticipation as Rebecca burst into his penthouse, grinning widely.

"We got them!" She exclaimed excitedly as she threw her arms around Bruce's neck and he laughed with her, sharing her joy as he swung her around in the air.

"I know – I saw your and Gordon's handiwork on the news." Bruce said warmly as he nodded to where the television was on in the sitting room.

"Well, it mostly shows Harvey, but he deserves the credit – he's the one who figured out how to nab the mob with Lau's information." Rebecca said with a wide smile, still giddy with their triumph. "Besides, the key point is that we _actually_ got them! I wish you could've seen Chechen's face when we arrested him. It was priceless!"

Bruce laughed with her as he led her to the sofa, settling them both down as he asked, "And the trials went smoothly?"

"They're going well." She agreed. "Surrillo's intent on making this a fair and just trial. I mean, Chechen and Maroni themselves will probably still be able to get bail, but we got the others. 549 criminals, all at once – it was insane!"

"I'm happy to hear it." Bruce agreed, smiling widely. "And to see you finally got to have some time off."

"Says the man who doesn't sleep because he's busy prowling the nights as Batman." Rebecca teased, still grinning like a mad man. "But yeah, Gordon gave half the team the morning off to rest after the last week; he and the others are taking tomorrow morning off."

"You deserved it." Bruce said sincerely. "Though you're looking too happy for only half a day off."

"Can you blame me?" Rebecca sighed contently. "After _years_ of making almost no headway, to see things finally go up after you showed up was amazing. But _this_ , this isn't just up, Bruce. This is the sky. And you made it happen."

Bruce laughed, shaking his head as he said, "You're drunk."

"Yeah, I am – on happiness." Rebecca agreed. "But I mean it, Bruce. And I'm so proud and happy to be able to share this victory with you."

"It's your victory, Becky." Bruce answered firmly. "You, Gordon, Harvey, Rachel – you're the ones who made this happen. Batman can only start the spark – you're the ones making the flames."

"Shut up." Rebecca answered. "You give yourself too little credit. Do you know how hard it is to be the one who lights that spark? Don't actually answer that." She added as Bruce opened his mouth. "I know you do, and that's why you don't let your guard down."

She smiled as she hugged Bruce again, sighing contently, "But, just for now, I want to be happy without worrying."

Bruce chuckled as he hugged her back warmly.

"I'm happy too." Bruce answered softly. "And I'm glad that you got through this without getting hurt."

"I think that's my line." Rebecca joked as she pressed a kiss on Bruce's cheek fondly. "I was worried I'd come by and find you patching yourself up after your stint in Hong Kong."

Bruce smiled as he agreed, "Yeah, it went considerably well. The new suit's much better."

"That's good." Rebecca smiled. "Though it won't really stop me worrying, at least I'll hopefully see you come back with less injuries from now on. Especially with the streets cleaned up now, for at least the next year if not 18 months."

Bruce laughed as he admitted, "That does sound good. And maybe now you'll also have time for us to see each other more often – I'm not the only one to blame for us not being able to see each other, _Sergeant_ Dawes."

Rebecca smiled as she kissed Bruce, which he answered enthusiastically.

Unfortunately, it was at that moment that Rebecca's phone rang.

"What is it?" Bruce asked as they broke apart, both frowning at the sound of her ringtone.

"I don't know." Rebecca admitted, checking the caller ID.

Her frown deepened, and she answered quickly, "Gordon?"

Instantly, her whole expression and posture changed.

Bruce stiffened with her, watching her intently as Rebecca sat up straight instantly while her eyes widened in alarm and then narrowed intently as she listened to whatever Gordon was telling her.

"I'll be there in ten minutes." Rebecca confirmed, before she hung up.

"What's wrong?" Bruce asked instantly as he got up with her, and Rebecca said grimly, "The Joker struck – and he's upped his game."

Bruce tensed, before he was blown as Rebecca said, her blue eyes filled with anger, worry, and sympathy for him, "He killed one of the Batman copycats – still in costume."

Bruce didn't move, going absolutely still as he processed through the shock, while Rebecca continued after taking a deep breath, "The victim died after being stabbed in the chest. The Joker apparently then hung him from the city hall flagpole – gave the mayor and Harvey quite a scare. That's why Gordon called."

"They're sure it's him?" Bruce asked quietly, and Rebecca nodded.

"He left his calling card pinned on the victim's chest." She explained. "And… he apparently painted the victim's face, to match his Gloucester smile."

Bruce's expression hardened, and Rebecca took his hands in hers as she warned, "Don't blame yourself for what happened to the man. You told them to stop, and they should have listened to you."

"They were copying me." Bruce answered flatly, and Rebecca answered softly, "But it was still their choice."

She glanced at her watch, saying regretfully, "I have to go now. Please, Bruce, I'm begging – don't let this get to you too much."

He didn't answer, and Rebecca took his face between her hands, forcing him to look at her as she said seriously, "I'm still proud of you and what you do. We have to focus on stopping the guy that's really to blame for that man's death."

Bruce nodded once at last, and Rebecca pressed a soft kiss on him before she hurried away, waving goodbye to Alfred as she went.

As the elevator doors closed on Rebecca, Alfred turned to look at Bruce.

"Miss Dawes is correct, Master Wayne." The old butler comforted. "The man to blame is the man who killed the innocent."

"Maybe." Bruce muttered as he fell back onto the sofa. "But it doesn't change that I have a share… in…"

Bruce trailed off as the television screen caught his eye, and he sat straighter as he watched the news change to show the scene outside the city hall where Rebecca was headed now.

It was a breaking news story as they showed clips of the 'Batman' hanging from the city hall flagpole before the police had gotten the man down; and they were now reporting that additional information had come in, in the form of a video clip from the Joker himself.

Bruce turned the volume up as the news anchor was saying grimly, "Police released video footage found concealed on the body. Sensitive viewers be aware – the image _is_ disturbing."

The broadcast cut into the footage, which depicted the Batman copycat whom Bruce recognized as the man who'd been wearing the hockey pads from a week or so ago. He looked beaten up, and he was tied up in what appeared to be a butcher shop while an off-screen, slightly lilted voice encouraged in a deceptively sweet tone, "Tell them your name."

"B-Brian Douglas." The Batman copycat answered, his voice shaking with pain or fear Bruce couldn't tell – probably both, if he had to guess.

The off-screen voice – presumably the Joker – giggled, and the camera shook slightly as Joker moved in closer to Brian, asking, "Are you the real Batman?"

"No…" Brian whimpered, and Joker repeated in false surprise, sounding almost like a parent lightly scolding a child, "No?"

"No." Brian repeated, slightly stronger, and Joker giggled, "No."

The camera shook again as Joker apparently carried it in his hand while he used his other hand to pull Brian's mask off as he demanded, his tone dancing between giggling and dark, "Then why do you dress up like him?"

The Joker giggled again in that strangely light yet dark voice while he dangled Brian's Batman mask in front of the camera, jiggling it about mockingly as he laughed and made fun of Brian.

Bruce's hands clenched into fists as he watched, while Brian answered as staunchly as he could though his voice often faltered, "He's a symbol, th-that we don't have to be afraid… of scum, like you."

His voice broke slightly at the end, showing his fear beneath his brave words, while the Joker almost sighed thoughtfully, "Yeah…"

Brian whimpered in fear, while the Joker continued, "But you do, Brian."

The Joker's hand appeared as he grabbed Brian's chin, forcing the man – who'd been avoiding gazing up at the Joker – to look up as he said darkly, "You _really_ do."

Brian whimpered, still keeping his eyes lowered, and Joker's hand grabbed Brian's hair, tugging his head harshly up as he growled menacingly, "Yeah."

Brian whimpered, and suddenly the Joker was back to 'caring' as he caressed Brian's cheek with the back of his hand as he hushed, "Oh, sh, sh, sh, sh."

And then he was back to mocking as he lightly smacked Brian's cheeks on each side while he asked, "So, you think that Batman has made Gotham a better place."

Bruce's jaw tightened, and Alfred's face was also grim as they watched the terrible footage.

Brian didn't reply, averting his head, as the Joker paced back, asking, "Hm?"

As Brian didn't answer or look up, the Joker said impatiently, "Look at me."

When Brian didn't, the Joker yelled, suddenly violent, " _Look at me!_ "

Brian's eyes flickered up uncertainly, the terrified man eyeing the Joker uncertainly, and suddenly the Joker turned the camera around so it was showing his heavily painted face as he announced, "You see, this is how _crazy_ Batman has made Gotham."

The camera was shaking quite badly as the Joker held it in his hand while he paced around the room he was holding Brian in, and it added to the horrifying image of his face while the Joker continued, "You want _order_ in Gotham? Batman must take off his mask, and turn himself in."

The Joker smacked his lips together, before adding casually as though in after-thought, "Oh, and every day he doesn't, people will die. Starting tonight."

He smacked his lips again – apparently a habit of his – before he zoomed in on his painted lips and scars as he added darkly, "I'm a man of my word."

And then, the Joker started laughing manically as he pulled the camera back from his face again, spinning it around so that it went out of focus on the fluorescent lights on the ceiling while Brian screamed in the background.

The footage ended there, and Bruce's hands were fisted so tightly his knuckles had gone white.

Alfred looked down at his young master in concern, and he asked, "Master Wayne?"

Bruce didn't reply as he abruptly stood up, grabbing his cell and dialing quickly.

"What are you doing, Master Wayne?" Alfred asked, concerned as he watched Bruce, and Bruce answered grimly, "Calling Becky; I want her back here, at least by this evening."

"Sir-" Alfred began protesting, but Bruce insisted, "I don't care if I have to say she's here as police escort for Harvey Dent at the fundraiser; I don't want her out of my sight."

"She probably won't come quietly." Alfred mumbled, knowing it was useless to argue at this point.

And sure enough, Bruce countered as he waited anxiously for Rebecca to pick up, "She will if it's to protect Harvey – I'd pin him pretty high up on the mob's hit list right now."

"You think the Joker is working for the mob, sir?" Alfred inquired, and Bruce answered grimly, "I wouldn't know about _for_ them yet, but the timing of his attack is too coincidental with the mob being rounded up yesterday."

He turned his attention back to his cell as Rebecca finally answered, sounding harassed, "Dawes."

"Becky, it's me." Bruce said swiftly. "Get Gordon to assign you onto Harvey for tonight."

"Wha-" Rebecca started to protest, but Bruce cut in, "It's the _fundraiser_ tonight, Becky. I'd say Harvey Dent's probably a good guess for the Joker's next target."

"We're running tests on the Joker's card right now; I _can't_ leave just because you tell me to." Rebecca snapped, already stressed with the sudden Joker's sudden threat and the ensuing scramble to try and stop him.

But Bruce was adamant as he pleaded, "Please, Becky. I can't go out tonight, and I _need_ to know you're safe."

"You know I can't-" She began, and he persuaded, "Think about it – you're protecting Harvey by doing this."

"… I'm going to kill you." She growled, and Bruce muttered back, knowing he'd won the argument, "I love you, too."


	19. Target

"No, Gordon, if you need me-" Rebecca tried again, frowning, but Gordon waved her off.

"Go." He answered. "Your sister's right, Harvey might be a target. And we can't do anything until forensics gets back to us anyway – our hands are tied. You might as well stay close just in case."

He pointed at her as he added sternly, "But keep your phone close, Sergeant. I'll let you know as soon as we get results, and if Dent's not the target then I'll need you out immediately."

"Trust me, sir, I won't let it out of my hand." Rebecca answered grimly, and trying not to feel guilty that she'd used Rachel as her excuse. What else was she supposed to say? Batman called personally, during the _day_? "I can't believe Joker blind-sided us like this."

"Yeah." Gordon sighed, rubbing his hand down his face tiredly. "And, of course, Lau couldn't have told us sooner that Joker was looking to make a deal with the mob."

"At least he came clean in the end." Rebecca muttered. "Though it was probably because he was fearing for his life."

"For good reason, apparently." Gordon answered, before he nodded at her. "You'd better get going now, Sergeant, if you want to get to get there to protect Harvey Dent."

"Yes, sir." Rebecca answered, standing up and leaving Gordon's office.

She nodded to Ramirez as she left, the tired-looking officer nodding back once, and Rebecca thought sourly, ' _To think we were all celebrating just this morning. I'm dead beat again already, and Gordon and Ramirez haven't even had the chance for a breather yet._ '

"Going to a party like that, Dawes?" Wuertz asked as she passed him, and Rebecca answered, "I'm going to work, Wuertz; so yes, I'm going like this."

"Still, it's a party thrown by _Bruce Wayne_." Wuertz noted as Rebecca grabbed her stuff to leave, her gun being one of the things she took. "That's gotta be something."

"Maybe if I wasn't _working_." Rebecca answered dryly as she left, and Wuertz watched her briefly before he headed back to his own work.

* * *

Rebecca arrived at the penthouse about five minutes after her sister texted her to let her know she and Harvey had arrived.

The moment the elevator doors opened, Rebecca could see that the party was already in full swing as all the rich and famous and powerful in Gotham chatted about in small groups. She did feel slightly out of place considering she was still in her work clothes – combat trousers and a collared shirt under her jacket - while everyone else was dressed in their finest, but, as she'd told Wuertz, she was working.

And she felt much safer sticking out amongst the elegantly dressed now, than if she were to find herself in a crisis against the Joker while wearing an evening dress and four inch heels, armed with a clutch bag. Rebecca shuddered at the thought.

It was then that she finally saw Rachel, leaning on Harvey's arm as his date for the evening. Rachel also spotted her sister, and whispering something to Harvey, the brunette hurried over.

"I'm glad you made it." Rachel murmured as she hugged her sister. "I have to say, I agree that I feel safer with you here with Harvey, although I'm still worried because you might be in danger now, too."

"It's fine, it's my job – I signed up for it." Rebecca dismissed, and Rachel said wryly, "Why does everyone around me say that?"

"Because we're all morally-righteous idiots." Rebecca joked lightly, and Rachel smiled.

Rebecca then nodded at her sister as she added, "You look stunning, Rach. Harvey's a lucky man."

She winked, and Rachel nudged her sister as she laughed, "Shut up. I wish I could have dressed you up for this, too."

"Thank goodness I'm on duty, then." Rebecca said lightly, and Rachel smacked her sister jokingly.

"You're already beautiful, Becky; but imagine what you could do dressed up." Rachel insisted, and Rebecca answered flatly, "Get killed?"

"Becky." Rachel shot her a look, and Rebecca smiled to show she was kidding – sort of.

She then changed subjects as she nodded to where Harvey was looking distinctly uncomfortable, commenting, "I never thought I'd see the day Harvey Dent actually looked scared."

"I know." Rachel chuckled. "I told him something similar as well. A mobster aims a gun at him in the middle of a trial, he doesn't bat an eyelash; but faced with the trust fund brigade, and he's scared stiff."

The two sisters shared smiles, especially as they saw Alfred approach Harvey to offer him a glass of champagne and possibly help the man feel at ease.

Although, as the two men exchanged what appeared to be small talk, Rebecca got the impression that that hadn't been Alfred's intention at all. A few words later, Alfred was walking away while Harvey looked slightly confused before he appeared somewhat alarmed as an understanding of some kind dawned.

"Uh oh, I wonder what Alfred told him." Rachel commented, noticing the same thing, and Rebecca muttered, "Ten to one, since it's Alfred, something about Bruce."

"Speaking of, I wonder where he is?" Rachel noted, looking around, just as they heard the distinct sound of a helicopter coming from outside.

Rachel's shoulders slumped and she sighed, "Of course."

"Yup." Rebecca muttered as they – and everyone else in the room – turned to watch as a helicopter arrived on the landing pad right outside the penthouse.

They all watched as the door to the copter opened and Bruce stepped out – and then Rebecca's brow rose as not one, not two, but _four_ models came out behind her boyfriend. Sometimes, she wasn't sure how people hadn't yet figured out Bruce was Batman – he could never resist theatrics, whether he was Batman or Bruce Wayne.

' _It's like he doesn't know how to act if he doesn't act big._ ' Rebecca thought as they watched Bruce and his models link arms to walk as though they were on the red carpet down towards the penthouse party.

"He can't resist a dramatic entrance, can he?" Rachel muttered, a hint of disgust in her voice as she eyed the models on Bruce's arms.

"Nope." Rebecca agreed, and Rachel muttered as she shot her sister a sympathetic look, "I'm sorry you have to watch this, Becky."

"I told you, Rach – it's not like that with Bruce." Rebecca sighed. She wasn't lying; just telling a half-truth. That's what she told her guilty conscious anyway. "Though I agree that four models does seem like he's pushing it."

Bruce had arrived by then, and he called out lightly as he stepped inside the penthouse, "I'm sorry that I'm late; I'm glad to see that you all got started without me."

He waved the models off his arm with another charming smile as he made his way amongst his guests while asking, "Now, where is Harvey?"

He looked around for said man, saying with all the usual Bruce Wayne swagger and confidence, "Where- Harvey Dent!"

He smiled, holding out his hands as he spotted the blond DA. Harvey straightened, drawing on his own confident face though he couldn't quite mask his unease and discomfort while Bruce smiled, "The man of the hour."

Bruce then turned as he asked, "And where is Rachel Dawes?"

Rachel cringed, while Rebecca gave her a sympathetic pat and shot Bruce a quick 'behave' look before she stepped back before everyone could look at her as they looked towards Rachel.

Bruce smiled as he gestured at Rachel, saying, "Rachel is one of my oldest friends and as dear as a sister to me; so when she told me she was dating Harvey Dent, I had one thing to say."

Bruce looked around at his audience, as he joked while mimicking a confused frown, "The guy from those god-awful campaign commercials?"

His guests laughed as Harvey looked a little embarrassed and Rachel shot daggers at Bruce. Rebecca also grimaced, but Bruce was still speaking.

"'I believe in Harvey Dent.' Yeah, nice slogan, Harvey." He added, nodding at the DA. "But then, I started paying attention to Harvey, and all he's been doing as our new DA, and you know what?"

Bruce looked around at his guests as he said firmly and sincerely, "I believe in Harvey Dent."

Instantly, the mood switched, and Harvey even looked a little surprised as Bruce continued, "On his watch," he nodded at Harvey again, "Gotham can feel a little safer. And a little more optimistic. And look at this face."

Harvey smiled, touched, while Rachel also raised a brow as Bruce gestured at Harvey with a warm smile as he said genuinely, "This is the face of Gotham's bright future. To Harvey Dent. Let's hear it for him."

Bruce led the applause for Harvey, who was smiling a little bashfully now as everyone clapped, all nodding supportively. Because if Bruce Wayne was going out of his way to honour him then the crowd knew that Harvey Dent was someone to get in good with.

Bruce smiled as he let his eyes slide just briefly over to the redhead standing quietly in the corner, somehow managing to blend into the background despite her clearly out-of-place outfit.

And Rebecca's lips twitched as she clapped with the others for Harvey, a soft and proud – and a little amused – look in her bright blue eyes as she looked right back at Bruce.

* * *

 _A little later_

Bruce stepped outside onto the balcony, needing a moment's fresh air after all the greeting and socializing he'd had to do with his guests. Normally, he kept it light but since he was trying to gather support for Harvey tonight, he'd been laying it on a little extra today, spending a little longer with each of his guests.

And it was wearing him out. _And_ he hadn't even managed to talk to Rebecca yet, the redhead having stuck firmly to the outskirts of the party as she watched Harvey and the surroundings constantly, only stopping to chat with her sister or on occasion Harvey when the party got a bit much for the poor DA.

But she couldn't do it for when it got much for _him_ , Bruce thought a little petulantly. He leant on the railings, looking down at Gotham below, before Bruce glanced back hopefully when he heard a noise behind him.

However, he was surprised to see Rachel instead of her sister walking out towards him.

"Rachel." Bruce greeted, but Rachel began with narrowed eyes, "Harvey may not know you well enough to understand when you're making fun of him, but I do."

Bruce smiled slightly as he shook his head, answering softly, "I meant every word I said, Rachel."

Rachel paused at that, raising a brow, and Bruce explained, "I know I've been a bit… different, a bit arrogant."

Rachel lifted her other brow, and Bruce teased, "Yes, I am aware of it."

Rachel smiled a little, softening as she saw her childhood friend again in the man before her while Bruce continued sincerely, "But I do still think about the city and what might be good for it. Sometimes, anyway. And when I look at Harvey, I know he's what's good for it."

"Is that so?" Rachel asked, tilting her head as she examined Bruce thoughtfully.

She had to admit, she was surprised. She'd been fully expecting to chew Bruce out and still be left frustrated and annoyed – as had happened often since Bruce had returned from the dead – but now, she was seeing the boy she'd known as a child. It was as Rebecca said; Bruce was still there, even if he usually hid it for some reason now.

As the thought crossed her mind, Rachel frowned slightly. Something… something in her mind had dislodged at that, a memory or feeling she couldn't quite put her finger on.

But Bruce had looked behind her suddenly, and Rachel turned to see Harvey coming out onto the balcony as well.

"You can throw a party, Wayne; I'll give you that." Harvey admitted as he came out to stand beside Rachel and across from Bruce.

Bruce smiled as he nodded back at the man, while Harvey added gratefully, "Thanks again."

"No problem." Bruce returned lightly, a hint of that arrogant rich playboy back in his attitude, and instantly Rachel felt the flare of irritation return.

So much for Bruce still being Bruce. But there was still that niggling feeling…

Harvey gestured at Rachel as he asked Bruce, "Mind if I borrow Rachel?"

Bruce lifted a brow while Rachel also glanced at Harvey curiously, but Bruce's reply was gracious as he answered, "Feel free, Harvey."

Harvey nodded once again towards Bruce while he took Rachel's hand, tugging on it as he led her back inside.

"Oh, and Harvey?" Bruce called after the man.

"Yeah, Wayne?" Harvey asked curiously, glancing back, and Bruce said seriously as he nodded at Rachel, "I meant it when I said Rachel is like a sister to me; so you be good to her."

Harvey blinked while Rachel's brow furrowed slightly, bewildered by Bruce's abrupt personality switches.

"Ah… right." Harvey answered, adding something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "Alfred did warn me about a crazy older brother…"

But Harvey was as honest as Bruce had been as he told Bruce firmly, "Don't worry, Wayne – I will be."

Bruce smiled and nodded, waving them away to show he was done.

Harvey glanced at Rachel questioningly, but she was also confused so she just shrugged. The pair left, while Bruce looked down at the city again before he too left the balcony.

Instead of rejoining his guests, however, he picked his way to the redhead still standing in a corner of the penthouse.

Rebecca didn't notice him at first, too busy tracking Harvey's movements as the blond man headed into a quiet place near the kitchens. When Bruce got closer, however, Rebecca glanced over and she raised a slight brow.

"I'm working, Bruce." Rebecca said lightly, and Bruce pointed out as he nodded to where Harvey had disappeared with Rachel out of sight into the kitchens, "You can't even see them anymore. And I know you won't go after them because you want to give Rachel her privacy."

Rebecca pulled a small face, though she smiled as Bruce gestured slightly with his head for her to follow him around the corner out of sight of his guests.

They moved, enough so that Rebecca still had quick access back into the penthouse but so that they too had privacy now.

"What is it?" Rebecca asked softly, and Bruce shrugged as he answered, "I just wanted to see you. I missed you."

Her face softened and she murmured, "I did too. It feels like this morning was weeks ago."

Bruce nodded. Neither mentioned the Joker footage, nor the reason they needed each other – they both knew it without the words needing to be said.

Instead, Bruce said lightly, "I wish you could have been dressed up, Becky."

"Oh, not you too." Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Rachel was saying the same thing, but I really am working. How _you_ manage to change each time…"

She trailed off suggestively, and Bruce answered with a small smile, "Quickly."

"I suppose you have the advantage since men usually aren't required to wear stilettos to parties." Rebecca remarked lightly, and Bruce countered, "Women aren't _required_ either."

"Social construct requires." Rebecca answered. "And since this kind of party is all about social construct…"

She gestured to the fundraiser party, and Bruce noted, "Touché."

"It was nice of you to do this for Harvey, though." Rebecca added softly. "And to dedicate him a speech."

"Well, he deserved it, and more." Bruce replied casually, but Rebecca smiled knowingly.

"You did that to apologize to Rachel for ruining her date, didn't you?" Rebecca noted, and Bruce grinned as he asked, "Was I that easy to figure out?"

"For me? Yes." She tossed back lightly.

She grew serious, however, as she asked, "You're really planning to hand things over to Gotham's 'White Knight', aren't you? I could tell from your speech."

Bruce nodded, as he murmured, "This thing with the Joker, it's only shown me how right I was in saying Gotham needs a true face for its hero – one without a mask. Harvey is that."

Rebecca nodded, though she didn't look like she quite agreed, and Bruce continued firmly, "As soon as things are secured for Harvey, I mean to really pass the mantle along, so to speak."

He took her hand in his as he added seriously, "And when that happens…"

"You won't miss all your dates with your ballerinas and four models?" Rebecca asked dryly, and he pointed out, "I'm here with you, aren't I?"

She smiled softly, but it dropped instantly as her phone rang.

Bruce also dropped her hand, his eyes steeling along with hers as Rebecca swiftly answered, "Dawes."

Her eyes remained locked with Bruce's as she answered Gordon, "Affirmative, sir."

She hung up, and Bruce said before she needed to, "They're coming for him."

"Forensics found three prints."

Bruce stopped at her words, and Rebecca informed him, "Judge Surrillo, Commissioner Loeb, and Harvey; all potential targets tonight. Gordon's split the team up since we don't know where the Joker will turn up, and he's ordered me to bring Harvey into protective custody."

"If Joker's telling us who the targets are, he's probably planned for that." Bruce pointed out grimly, and Rebecca replied as she and Bruce moved swiftly into action, "Obviously - that's why I'm putting Harvey under Batman's protection."


	20. Joker

"Harvey."

Rachel and Harvey looked up, startled, as Rebecca suddenly appeared behind them. Harvey looked briefly annoyed at being interrupted, but that quickly changed when he and Rachel saw Sergeant Dawes before them and not Rachel's little sister, Rebecca.

"I'm sorry Harvey, but I need you to come with me. Rachel, you need to get back to the party." Rebecca ordered, and Harvey protested, "Rachel can come with-"

"Please, Harvey, trust my judgment as an officer." Rebecca cut him off sharply. "And remember that Rachel's my sister when I make this order."

He blinked, but then nodded in defeat, while Rachel glanced between her lover and her sister anxiously.

"You'll keep safe?" Rachel checked, and Rebecca answered, "We'll try, now go. But try to stay as incognito as possible."

Rachel nodded, pressing a quick kiss on Harvey before she hurried back to join the party, while Rebecca took Harvey's arm and led him quickly further into the kitchen.

"Where are we going?" Harvey asked, and Rebecca muttered, "Somewhere safe."

"But the exit's that way-" Harvey began, when suddenly Bruce appeared behind the man, grabbing him around the neck in a sleeper hold and forcing the DA unconscious.

"Sorry, Harvey." Rebecca muttered as Harvey lost consciousness before she looked up at Bruce as her boyfriend held Harvey's neck tightly for a little longer just in case.

"I've got him, you need to go." Rebecca whispered as soon as they were sure Harvey was knocked out.

Bruce nodded, quickly moving out to get to the secret room in the penthouse where his Batsuit was located, while Rebecca quickly hid Harvey in the nearest stock closet. Thankfully, she was well-trained because Harvey was _heavy_. Tall and fit were all very well on men, until they were dead weights – then, it wasn't quite so nice.

Rebecca managed, however, and forced Harvey into the closet with a grunt. She then sealed the door with a broom, keeping him locked inside, before she quickly slipped back to the penthouse.

She arrived near the main room, just as a gunshot fired.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!"

As soon as she heard the Joker's voice, Rebecca quickly ducked back down, keeping low and staying hidden in the hallway around the corner from the main room.

She peered out carefully to assess the situation, noting the six or so men with guns around the Joker as the madman himself waved a large rifle around, clearly having been the one who'd fired the gun though apparently he'd just shot into the ceiling.

As the Joker's men pointed their own guns at the party guests, the Joker wandered about the natural circular space everyone had given him upon his arrival as he announced, "We are tonight's entertainment."

He picked up a cocktail kebab from a nearby, abandoned table. Chewing off the shrimp at the top, the Joker turned back to the crowd as he stated, "I only have one question – where is Harvey Dent?"

There was only silence in response to his question.

Most of the guests didn't even know where Harvey Dent had gotten to, and a few were also quietly defiant enough that even if they had known they wouldn't have sold Harvey out. After all, Thomas Wayne had been a minority but not alone in his world of the rich and politically powerful.

The Joker continued to walk about the edges of the circle, staring at the crowd of guests. Rebecca tensed when he waved his gun dangerously close to one of Bruce's model dates, but the Joker soon moved on to grab a glass of champagne instead. Taking a sip, he smacked the glass back down on a different table before he tapped the nearest man.

"Do you know where he is?" He queried, acting like a regular thug as he tapped, and lightly slapped each person in turn as he moved along the edge of the crowd, repeating, "Do you know? Do you know where he is?"

Rebecca gripped her gun tightly, ready to use it if necessary. She was hoping the Joker wouldn't actually hurt anyone until the Batman could get there to handle the man, but he was quickly proving to be rather unpredictable – and therefore far more dangerous than they'd even been led to believe before.

It was as the thought passed through her mind, that the Joker stopped beside another gentleman and grabbed the man's face, getting up close as he said impatiently, "Do you know where I can find Harvey? I need to talk to him about something. Just something little."

The man didn't and couldn't answer, and the Joker rolled his eyes as he moved on, muttering, "No."

He stopped before another elderly gentleman as he continued, getting up in the other man's face, "You know, I'll settle for his loved ones."

"We're not intimidated by thugs." The gentleman replied defiantly, and Rebecca grimaced. She really wished the man had just stayed quiet.

The Joker had narrowed his eyes as he examined the older man's face intently, and he commented suddenly, "You know, you remind me of my father."

The Joker suddenly grabbed the old man's head, bringing a knife right up to the other man's mouth before anyone could react as he added darkly, "I hated my father."

"Stop!"

The Joker paused, as did everyone else, before he turned slowly to face Rebecca where she stood pointing her gun right at him.

The Joker's thugs all instantly pointed their guns at her, but the Joker remained unruffled as he asked mockingly, jeering at Rebecca, "Oh, and what do we have here? What's a pretty thing like you doing in a dump like this?"

He gestured at her, and his tone made it clear that contrary to his flowery words, he meant her different state of dress compared to everyone else.

Rebecca, however, remained firm as she ordered, "Release the man now, Joker."

"Or you'll what, shoot me?" The Joker scoffed, gesturing at his men. "You'd be dead in an instant."

"But so would you." Rebecca answered calmly, and the Joker tilted his head so far to the side it was almost comical – except on him, it was downright terrifying,

But Rebecca's hands didn't even shake as she held her gun pointed firmly on the Joker's chest, and the Joker slowly let the elderly gentleman go.

What disturbed Rebecca, however, was how the Joker didn't even seem to care that he'd given up his hostage and thereby only real guarantee she wouldn't shoot him. He didn't even seem to care he might actually die if she pulled the trigger.

Instead the Joker's smile had widened as he said slowly while edging towards Rebecca, "Oh… we have a spit-fire, here, ladies and gentlemen. From Gotham's very own GCPD."

Rebecca's eyes narrowed while the Joker giggled, his dark, manic eyes boring into Rebecca's as he continued, "I'd heard there was a pretty little redhead in the MCU. So I asked, does she have a temper like they say redheads do?"

Rebecca remained stock still, watching the Joker and his men warily as the Joker continued to stalk towards her, while he rambled, "And they said, they didn't know! But that she _was_ good at her job."

Suddenly, the Joker had whipped his knife towards Rebecca, and her hand almost squeezed the trigger in a knee-jerk reaction – almost.

The Joker's smile got wider as he said, "Yes… very good at her job. Too good; you made quite a few people angry, Red."

He giggled while Rebecca continued to watch him, unimpressed and refusing to be distracted by him as she kept her focus solely on the situation while the Joker added, "Not that _I_ really care – people like you, you make it more fun."

He leaned in towards her as he said, suddenly menacing, "It's so much more interesting to _break_ your spirit."

"Okay, that's enough. Leave her alone."

' _Why, Rachel, WHY?!_ ' Rebecca asked, in her head, as she watched her sister step out of the crowd to also face off against the Joker.

"Ooh hohoho… _Two_ spitfires." The Joker laughed as he looked between Rachel and Rebecca.

"Except, you're just a cop," he nodded at Rebecca. "Doing your job, etcetera, etcetera. But I'd bet bucks that _you_ are Harvey's squeeze." He pointed his knife towards Rachel as he grinned widely.

So much for Rebecca's concentration.

The second he tried to threaten Rachel Rebecca swiftly kicked at the Joker. His quick reflexes meant he dodged most of the power behind her trained kick, though she still landed a solid hit on his stomach that sent him stumbling back a few paces.

One of his men fired, but Rebecca had already dropped herself low and the bullet hit a light instead, causing a few people to shriek. The Joker waved his cronies back, apparently enjoying himself as Rebecca ignored the bullet that had just missed hitting her to swipe out her legs at the Joker in her lower position.

But he was as quick, leaping over Rebecca's feet as he cackled, "Oh, ho! She _has_ a temper! You've got _real_ fight in you, Red!"

He grinned as he landed back while Rebecca held her gun raised defensively in case his men attacked, and the Joker added as he leered at Rebecca, "I like that."

"Then you're gonna love me."

The Joker looked over instantly at the sound of the dark, deep voice coming from behind him, but this time he wasn't fast enough.

Batman dropped out of nowhere – from their perspectives – and punched the Joker right in the face, sending the man crashing back. Batman swiftly turned to take on the Joker's men before they could fire, and Rebecca scrambled quickly out of the Batman's way as the fighting gravitated toward the masked vigilante.

She kicked out one of Joker's thugs' legs as she went, sending the man crashing down where Batman rammed his foot down swiftly to knock the man unconscious while he fought the other four thugs.

"Rachel!" Rebecca began, intending to grab her sister and move her back to safety with herself, when she spotted the Joker already clambering to his feet and reaching for Rachel.

Rebecca fired a warning shot to the Joker's right, away from everyone, and the Joker flinched back instinctively. Not one to miss an opportunity, Rebecca used the moment to grab her sister.

"Bec-!" Rachel gasped, getting cut off as Rebecca shoved her sister to safety first; an action that cost her.

The Joker used her distraction to eject a hidden knife in his shoe, and he kicked up, swiping the knife across Rebecca's wrist.

She cried out as she dropped her gun instinctively due to the pain, though she dove for it almost immediately afterwards, heedless of the blood she was spilling. Unfortunately, the Joker did the same, and as he swiped at her again with his knife, Rebecca was forced to duck while the Joker grabbed her gun.

It was over in three seconds as the Joker pointed his gun… at Rachel.

The people around Rachel flinched while the brunette gasped as the Joker grabbed Rebecca with his other hand, hauling the redhead up easily now that she went without much fight after seeing where his gun was pointed.

The Joker got her in a deadly grasp just as the Batman turned around, having taken out all of the Joker's other thugs, and Rachel cried in fear, "Becky!"

The Joker had moved to point his gun away from Rachel and at Rebecca now that he'd gained the Batman's attention. Rebecca struggled as soon as the gun was pointed away from her sister, but it was a little too late - the Joker had a far stronger grip than she would have pegged for a man (no matter how mad) who seemed to avoid physical confrontations. His one hand was tight around her neck, his grip so strong it would surely leave bruises, and Batman's eyes narrowed.

"Drop the gun." Batman ordered in his deep voice, while Rebecca kicked at the Joker's feet behind her.

The madman dodged it easily – apparently having expected it – while he countered at the Batman, "Oh sure, you just take off your little mask, and show us all who you really are."

Rebecca shook her head at him urgently, warning him not to give in, and Batman's jaw clenched. The Joker read his defiance, and decided he needed to up the stakes.

With another of his strange dark chuckles, he suddenly fired the gun behind him, shattering the floor-length glass window of the penthouse that had been right behind him. Rebecca choked as the Joker tightened his hold around her neck, while he used his grip to swing her around.

He did end up dropping the gun as he swung Rebecca, but only so that he could catch her by the arm as he let go of her neck. He used his new grip to hold her so that Rebecca ended up leaning precariously out the broken window, held back only by the Joker's grip on her arm while her feet balanced tenuously on the edge of the broken penthouse window.

Several people gasped, while Rachel's hands went over her mouth in terror as Rebecca struggled against the Joker, fear flitting across her face for the first time as she basically dangled over the edge of a skyscraper and Batman's eyes narrowed even further in anger.

"Let her go." Batman warned darkly, his eyes blazing, and the Joker frowned.

"Very poor choice of words." The Joker commented, before he laughed like a maniac yet again as he let go of Rebecca's arm and the redhead fell out of the penthouse.

"BECKY!" Rachel screamed, her body jerking forward a step out of pure instinct. Everyone else seemed too shocked by the Joker's sudden action to move, still processing the fact that he had actually dropped a human being out of the highest floor of one of the tallest buildings in the city.

The Batman, however, had dived passed the Joker and out the window before Rachel had even finished screaming for her sister, reaching instantly for the Rebecca as the redhead dropped out of sight.

Utterly heedless of the criminal he'd left behind, Bruce slid down the glass windows of the floor right below his penthouse, which created a slightly pyramidal shape at the top of the skyscraper building he lived in. He streamlined his body to increase his speed as he raced after Rebecca, his heart pounding in his ears as he kept his eyes only on hers where she was sliding down the glass in front of him.

Rebecca reached for him as well, her blue eyes terrified as she locked onto his desperate gaze as Bruce gained on her. But it wasn't enough; Rebecca was already at the edge, where it then dropped straight down for almost one hundred floors, and she let out an involuntary but piercing scream as she hit that edge and went right on passed it.

Bruce hurtled after her, grabbing her just as they both flew off the glass and started to free-fall down.

Rebecca screamed bloody murder, unable to help herself as she clung onto Bruce in utter terror as they fell through empty space and down towards the road below. Bruce thankfully managed to keep his head as he swung them around so that his arms were wrapped around Rebecca as he cradled her against his chest while he lay horizontally and spread his cloak out beneath his back.

It opened, catching the air and slowing their descent somewhat as they plunged down towards the Earth, before they finally landed with a crash atop a parked car, Bruce landing underneath Rebecca.

They dented the roof, shattering the glass of the car windows, but the stranger's car was the least of Bruce's worry.

He gasped for one second, catching his breath, before he turned to Rebecca.

"Are you all right?" Bruce demanded, turning her slightly so he could see her face, his eyes searching for any sign of pain.

Rebecca was gasping to get her breath back and her face was still deathly pale, but her eyes were filled with relief as she answered a little shakily, "Yeah."

Bruce relaxed slightly, though his eyes moved to check the rest of her for any signs of injuries. Rebecca, however, felt the burning in her arm instantly now that the adrenaline was settling down, and she winced as she subconsciously reached for her wrist. "Ow."

Bruce instantly zeroed in on the movement and his eyes scanned the knife wound on her wrist, which was bleeding rather heavily.

"We need to get you treated." He ordered, but Rebecca shook her head weakly.

"You need to get after the Joker, and check on Harvey." She reminded, looking and sounding exhausted after her near death experience, now that the adrenaline rush was wearing off. "I can take care of myself – go."

He hesitated, but she insisted, "Go!"

Bruce struggled up, glancing back at Rebecca once more before he moved to disappear into the shadows as people crowded around their crash site. Rebecca lay for another moment, needing it to get her breath back and calm her racing heart.

Unfortunately, her heart rate refused to slow and Rebecca began to become aware of the fact that she was feeling light-headed and weak; and she didn't think it was because of her brush with death. Rebecca glanced at her wrist before wincing as she realized it was much deeper than she'd thought – no wonder Bruce had panicked (as much as he allowed himself to whilst he was Batman, that is) when he saw it.

' _Damn it._ ' Rebecca thought, before she looked up as she heard police sirens.

"Thank God." She muttered as she dropped her head back down on the crushed car roof as Gordon basically leapt out of his car, the first to arrive.

"Becky!" He shouted, running up to her as Ramirez and Wuertz followed. "What happ- sh*t!"

He swore when he saw her wound, and instantly started calling the medics, while Rebecca said tiredly, "Harvey should be safe; our friend's got him. Not sure about Joker, though."

"All right, now keep quiet and save your strength." Gordon ordered. "You're losing more blood than I'd like, Becky."

"Yeah." She agreed. The world was already starting to spin around her slightly, but Rebecca forced herself to remain conscious as the medics started moving her into an ambulance.

* * *

Back in the penthouse, Rachel's heart hammered in her chest as she stared at the open window where her sister – and Batman – had disappeared through.

The Joker had run as soon as Batman was gone; something she didn't quite understand, but she'd try and reason it out later. For now, almost every cell in her body was screaming with worry for her little sister, terrified that she'd just seen her only remaining family member killed right before her eyes.

A tiny part of her that was still somewhat sane prayed fervently that Batman had saved Rebecca, no matter the odds – after all, he had defied odds before. Surely, hopefully, he'd done it again.

And then an even tinier part of her remained bewildered by something she'd caught in very brief passing as Batman had leapt after her sister. With most of her attention having been on Rebecca, Rachel had almost missed it herself; but now that she had repeated the image in her mind several hundred times (though that had been mostly out of fear for her sister), that tiny part of her realized something distinctly odd.

Batman had leapt after her sister – not jumped, _leapt._ As though his body had reacted instinctively, the way a mother might react to save her child.

And his eyes, though Rachel had barely noticed and even now remained mostly unconscious about, had been filled with an absolute dread and panic akin to that of a man fearing for the life of someone he desperately cared about if not loved.

An amplification of an emotion she had seen somewhere before.

And that tiny part of Rachel would soon realize what it was that had been niggling at her since earlier that evening; something, she realized, she should have seen much sooner.


	21. Traces

Rebecca recovered quickly, only needing stitches and some sleep to recover from the night's ordeals.

It was a small mercy, though _she_ hardly saw it that way – Rebecca was furious they'd lost the Joker because of her when it could have been the perfect opportunity to catch him. Not that she was ready to die or anything, but she kept kicking herself for not having reacted the way she should have when the Joker went for Rachel.

She'd replayed the moment in her mind a hundred times over, seeing all the angles she could have – and should have, she scolded herself – taken. Ways where she could have easily kept Rachel safe while successfully apprehending the Joker.

Unfortunately, when he'd gone after Rachel, her keener senses had left her in her all-empowering need to keep Rachel safe. And somehow, a part of Rebecca suspected Joker had known that.

Certainly, if he hadn't known it when he'd first gone for Rachel, he'd known it when he used Rachel to ensure Rebecca became a hostage against Batman.

Again, she kicked herself.

The only relief was the Joker hadn't managed to kill Harvey – the only one of the Joker's intended targets who had made it through the night.

Rebecca had insisted Gordon fill her in the moment she was conscious enough, and the frustrated Lieutenant had obliged once he was certain his Sergeant was in the clear. Judge Surillo had been bombed in her own car – the team sent to escort her hadn't been able to do anything as she had of course been killed instantly.

Gordon himself had gone to secure the Commissioner but someone had already been there to poison Loeb's stash of alcohol, which the Commissioner kept aside for stressful nights. The Commissioner had also passed quickly after taking a sip when Gordon hadn't been looking.

It was infuriating, because both cases indicated inside jobs – and especially with the late Commissioner. The Joker card had been reportedly seen amongst the files Judge Surillo flipped through during the prosecution trials for the mob, hence how the Joker got her prints on the card. But with Loeb – and getting in to poison Loeb's drink without any security noticing – pointed once more to moles.

But more worryingly, people were starting to lose faith again. Terror was gripping the city, and people who had been hedging to make a stand were backing down again with their tails between their legs – including cops, judges, politicians.

But Rebecca's fears were placed slightly at rest when Gordon informed her Dent was already back on his feet, and taking off running. He had already gotten Lau secured and protected, needing him alive to testify in court, and he was now working around the clock with Gordon to track down the mob leaders and the Joker.

And, of course, their secret 'partner' was also on the job.

According to Gordon, Batman had swung by in the night to inform Gordon the Joker had escaped after throwing Rebecca out of the penthouse and to let Gordon know he would also be tracking the Joker.

Rebecca just nodded, having heard the news from Bruce.

The billionaire had stopped by to see Rebecca only once while she was still sleeping, keeping up the façade that while Rebecca was an old friend Bruce Wayne was still more irresponsible and selfishly absorbed than anything else.

It hadn't stopped him using Alfred to call her often to check on her condition, however. After all the elderly butler had no reason not to show his care for the young woman he had watched grow up for almost three decades alongside his young master. And Rebecca had had to reassure 'Alfred' that she was doing well and would be discharged shortly every hour since she'd woken up.

Not that she minded – it was nice hearing Bruce's voice, especially to distract herself from everything that was going on. She had also arranged through coded words to go see Bruce secretly after she was discharged, instead of going home.

Gordon had ordered she take at least the day off to recover from her injury. And since Rachel wasn't going to be home as she was busy at her office, Rebecca fully intended to use the time to sneak some time with Bruce – and see if he'd made any progress in his search for the Joker, since the MCU wasn't coming up with much.

* * *

 _At the Batcave_

Bruce stood before his desk, staring at the screens, which were all playing various cuts from the warning footage the Joker had sent before. He was trying to figure the Joker out; patterns, mindset, motives… anything that might help him both track and anticipate the criminal so he could catch him.

Alfred stood with him, as Bruce murmured while staring with a frown at the images of the Joker, "Targeting me won't get their money back. I knew the mob wouldn't go down without a fight, but this is different."

He nodded at the Joker as he finished darkly, "They've crossed a line."

" _You_ crossed the line first, sir." Alfred countered grimly as he looked at Bruce. "You squeezed them, you hammered them to the point of desperation."

Bruce's frown deepened, his face becoming pensive as Alfred continued while nodding at the images of the Joker, "And in their desperation, they've turned to a man they don't fully understand."

Bruce pressed the button on the side of his work desk, activating the hidden chamber beneath the floor on one side of the bunker to pop open with his Batsuit.

Bruce walked towards it, intending to check it after the last night's drop, as he informed Alfred, "Criminals aren't complicated, Alfred. We just need to figure out what he's after."

"With respect, Master Wayne," Alfred replied bluntly, "perhaps this is a man _you_ don't fully understand either."

As Bruce paid him no heed, standing before his Batsuit, Alfred piped up as he walked up behind Bruce, "A long time ago, I was in Burma – my 'friends' and I were working for the local government. They were trying to buy the loyalty of tribal leaders by bribing them with precious stones."

Alfred paused before he continued, "But their caravans were being raided in a forest, North of Rangoon, by a bandit."

Bruce turned, intrigued despite himself, and he folded his arms across his chest as he listened while Alfred went on, "So we went looking for the stones."

He stopped before Bruce as he stated flatly, "But in six months, we never met _anyone_ who traded with him."

Bruce frowned, while Alfred continued, "One day, I saw a child playing with a ruby the size of a tangerine – the bandit had been throwing them away."

"So, why steal them?" Bruce asked, puzzled, and Alfred answered bluntly, "Well, because he thought it was good sport; because, some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money."

Bruce's eyes instantly shifted to stare at the images of the Joker he was scanning on all his screens as he realized what Alfred was trying to get at while the elderly butler continued, "They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with."

Alfred leant in to face his charge seriously as he stated flatly, "Some men just _want_ to watch the world burn."

Bruce continued to stare at the screens, his lips pursed, while Alfred turned away just as the lift into the bunker came down.

"Miss Dawes." Alfred greeted, as though he hadn't just been warning Bruce about the seriousness of underestimating someone like the Joker.

"Alfred." Rebecca answered warmly, and Alfred asked as Bruce also turned to meet his girlfriend, "How's the wrist?"

"It's been better, but I can go back to work within the day as long as I don't overdo it, so it could've been worse." Rebecca answered as she moved said arm slightly to show it was fine.

Bruce came up to hug her while pulling her arm up gently so he could inspect it himself, while Rebecca looked between him and Alfred as she asked, "How was cleaning up after the Joker left? I was glad to hear that no-one else, at least, got hurt."

"Well, Miss Dawes, I can say I didn't have to have anyone wipe a _dead_ man's blood off the floor." Alfred answered firmly. "And it was thanks to your intervention."

"Thanks, Alfred." Rebecca answered, before adding to Bruce pointedly, "Bruce, it's wrapped – you can't even see what it looks like under the bandages."

"Yeah, but I was worried." He answered as he slid his hand down from under her wrapped wrist and around her elbow. "Becky, when I saw he'd hurt you…"

"It was my own fault." Rebecca dismissed. "I was careless when he threatened Rachel – it won't happen again."

"It had better not." Bruce warned her, staring down at her with troubled brown eyes as Alfred's recent words weighed heavily down on his mind. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

"Again, I say – a bit hypocritical coming from the Batman." Rebecca answered flatly, gesturing at the suit on display.

She then frowned slightly as she added slowly, "Bruce, about the Joker…"

"I'll deal with it." Bruce promised, but Rebecca shook her head.

"Be careful." She warned him, her blue eyes filled with worry though she also appeared to be deep in thought. "Something about him just doesn't add up – I don't think he's as crazy as everyone believes; or rather, I should say he seems to be a different kind of insane. And it worries me."

Alfred gave Bruce a pointed look behind Rebecca's back, one which clearly said 'I told you so'. Bruce grimaced back while Rebecca added seriously, "I'd even go as far as to say he's a _true_ psychopath, and a clever one at that; _and_ you seem to have caught his attention. So, _please_ – don't take him lightly."

"I won't." Bruce answered with a slight sigh, but he was being dead serious as he promised, "I'll keep what you said in mind, Becky; I promise."

* * *

 _Later_

True to his word – and against his will – Gordon called Rebecca back into action that very evening.

"But I don't want you coming in until I've called that it's clear." Gordon stressed as he drove them up to the building on 8th and Orchard. "Do you hear me, Dawes? Not until I've called the clear."

"Yes, sir." Rebecca answered, grudgingly. She disliked sitting on the sidelines and waiting for orders to rejoin the squad, ever since her early days on the force when her superior officers had left her on the sides all the time simply because she was a woman.

However, she knew Gordon was enforcing it for her own – and the squad's – safety with her injured arm, so Rebecca stayed put with one other officer by the police cars as Gordon, Ramirez and two more officers got out and rushed inside the apartment building.

Her patience was rewarded much quicker than expected, however, as Gordon called less than ten minutes later, "All clear – Dawes, get in here."

Well, she didn't need to be told twice. Rebecca quickly headed inside, motioning for the other officer to stand down. They needed at least one person guarding the exterior after all; besides, since the tip-off for the location had come from Batman, Rebecca had a feeling Gordon would keep everyone else out for at least five minutes while he and Batman poked around.

Sure enough, Rebecca spotted the two police officers who'd accompanied Gordon standing outside the apartment they'd been going to search. Inside the apartment, Batman stood examining something on the wall intently, while Ramirez watched a little resentfully. Clearly, she wasn't a fan of the masked vigilante at the moment.

As Rebecca joined Gordon inside the apartment, he informed her as he nodded to the two dead men slumped over a table in the corner of the apartment, "The target's Harvey Dent."

"How do you know?" Rebecca asked, but her question was answered as she was examining the bodies.

They had been arranged to look as though they'd been killed in the middle of a card game – a card game where both players' hands consisted of only Joker cards. Their faces were also painted in the Joker's clown-ish makeup, yet another of the Joker's 'symbols' for his victims; but more important for the detectives were the driver's licenses tagged on the dead men.

"Patrick Harvey, and Richard Dent." Rebecca muttered as she read the names off the false IDs. So, that was what Gordon had meant.

Something else caught her eye, and Rebecca moved to peer over at the paper on the side of the table as Gordon watched Batman examining a gunshot hole in the wall.

"That's brick, underneath." The Lieutenant commented, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "You're gonna take ballistics off of a shattered bullet?"

"No." Batman answered in his deep voice, ignoring the sarcasm.

Rebecca looked up as she heard a metal click, and she raised a brow as she saw a small, handheld drill in Batman's hand, while he told Gordon, "Fingerprints."

Batman began drilling the wall around the gunshot hole, while Rebecca touched Gordon's arm. He looked at her immediately, and Rebecca handed him the newspaper she'd found with a grim expression.

The Lieutenant skimmed the page Rebecca had shown him quickly, his face going equally grim, as Batman continued extracting the piece of the wall.

"Well, whatever you're gonna do, do it fast." Gordon informed Batman, just as the man pulled out the piece of the wall with the shattered bullet. "Because we've found his real next target."

Batman didn't say anything, but his questioning look was clear even from behind the mask as the masked crusader turned to face the two police detectives.

"It's the Mayor." Rebecca explained grimly as she took back the Gotham Times from Gordon and held it up so Batman could see it was opened on the obituaries page. "He's put it in tomorrow's paper."

Batman narrowed his eyes as he read the title that was right at the top of the page, 'Mayor Anthony Garcia, aged 40, Dedicated Public Servant.'

Below was a picture of the mayor, but his face on the paper had been painted with the Joker's trademark clown makeup. And all over the written article dedicated to the Mayor's memory were the words 'Ha Ha Ha', scratched onto the paper in black pen in a manner that spoke eerily of how crazy the Joker really was. Finally, on the side of the page in red ink, were the letters 'XOXO'.

* * *

Bruce took the highly technical scan he had made of the shattered bullet that Joker had left behind with him as he met Fox early the next morning.

"Can you do it?" Bruce asked as Fox examined the scan on his computer screen in the now secretly located Applied Sciences Division at Wayne Enterprises.

"Well, it's not easy – as with all your usual requests." Fox joked lightly, and Bruce grinned slightly as Fox began manipulating programs on his computer. "But, this should work…"

With his advanced systems and own technical prowess, the old gentleman soon had the fragments compiled into a program that could read and rearrange the scans, and Fox murmured as he finished uploading Bruce's scan, "This is your original scan. Here it is re-engineered."

Fox clicked another few keys, and the program activated, rearranging the fragmented bullet scans so that it became whole once more.

Bruce leant in closer to the screen as Fox shifted the angle of the bullet in view on the scan, pausing as they found the print Bruce had been looking for.

"And there's the thumbprint he left when he pushed the round into the clip." Bruce muttered as he examined the print imprinted on the restructured scan.

Fox leant back, satisfied, as he said lightly, "I'll get you a copy."

Bruce grinned in equal satisfaction, and he turned to leave now that he had what he had been looking for, when Fox called, "Mr. Wayne."

Bruce paused, looking at the older man as Fox looked at him curiously and asked, "Did you reassign our R&D?"

"Yup." Bruce answered instantly, nodding slightly as he confirmed Fox's words. "Government telecommunications project."

"I wasn't aware we had any government contracts." Fox commented, frowning slightly, and Bruce sighed slightly as he explained vaguely, "Lucius, I'm playing this one pretty close to the chest."

Lucius's brows rose slightly, and Bruce could easily read the surprise and the flicker of unease in the older gentleman's expression as Fox gave Bruce a very quick once-over.

"Fair enough." The old gentleman murmured, though he couldn't hide the skepticism and shadow of worry as he continued to watch Bruce.

But Bruce kept his face smooth and unreadable as he turned and walked away; partly because he knew Fox was likely not going to like what Bruce was really doing, and partly because… he didn't want Fox to know _why_ Bruce was doing what he was doing.

Only Alfred knew of Bruce's real relationship with Rebecca, and Bruce wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

The Joker was making it all too clear that one could never be too careful; and nothing, not Fox's unease or anything else, would close to measuring against the pain of losing Rebecca.


	22. Salute

Rebecca sat with her fellow officers around the raised platform-stage where the Mayor was to make his speech for the late Commissioner Loeb.

The parade up to the platform had mercifully been uneventful; and considering it had been a prime opportunity with the Mayor walking in the very front and centre of the procession dedicated to the late Commissioner and Harvey Dent walking right beside Gotham's leader.

Gordon and Rebecca had worried that the Mayor and Harvey might be too exposed, and had taken many protective steps to try to ensure the men's safety. The Lieutenant had insisted – and was met with no arguments from either his department or Dent's – in having armed officers lining the entire street and along the procession group. They also secured special forces to stand watch on the roofs and balconies of every building along the street where the memorial service was being held.

Perhaps because of their many precautions, but the procession itself had ended without incident. Though Rebecca couldn't shake the feeling that it was more likely that the Joker had simply opted for a different plan from the start.

And that was why, despite the fact that they had made it halfway through the event without any sign of the painted criminal, Rebecca found herself getting tenser and tenser as she waited for _something_ to happen. Gordon clearly felt the same way as he constantly swept his eyes around the area, scanning the roofs and remaining on the lookout for any suspicious activity.

Rebecca also kept looking up vigilantly, her eyes scanning the many windows on all the nearby windows. It only made sense that the Joker – or more likely one of his goons – would be perched up where there was a better vantage point but also some cover for stealth and escape.

Yet, something kept niggling in the back of her mind – a small voice that told her the Joker wouldn't be that easy. He seemed to love throwing them off with unexpected moves that often leant towards the theatrical; a simple assassination attempt from afar didn't really fit into that pattern.

But what else could he possibly do?

With the number of police officers swarming the street, it would be very difficult for any of the Joker's men to get close on the ground. Not only were there guards placed everywhere, but as the ceremony was dedicated to the head of the Gotham police, every single officer not on watch duty was standing in the street before the Mayor to honor their late chief. Anyone who tried to get close on the ground would have to go through the sea of officers, and somehow Rebecca thought that _might_ be noticed.

And Rebecca also knew something no-one else did: 'Batman' was also going to be onsite during the ceremony.

Since it was the middle of the day, Bruce couldn't come out in his suit but he had informed her that he and Alfred had made progress on the bullet scans – with some help from Lucius Fox, naturally. Bruce had also shared his intention to track down the prints while the memorial ceremony was taking place, and he was hoping to get to the source of the prints – the Joker – before anything could go wrong.

Rebecca hoped it fervently too – the sooner the Joker was caught, the better. He was proving to be far more dangerous than they could ever have suspected.

She was so focused on keeping an eye on their surroundings as much as possible that Rebecca barely heard the Mayor's speech to honour Commissioner Loeb. Not that it mattered; she could watch it on rerun later if she really wanted to. Truthfully, Rebecca thought the Mayor – while well meaning – was making his speech unnecessarily long.

Or, perhaps she only felt that way because she was anxious for the ceremony to end peacefully while it could. The lack of any signs of the Joker was only making her edgier and she could feel the tension growing like a thick, heavy fog in the very air around her.

It wasn't just from her, and it wasn't only from Gordon either – every citizen of Gotham was watching and waiting with fear that the Joker would deliver on his threat. The fear that had begun like a small ember with that article in the morning paper was starting to spark and fan into a flame that was waiting to burst into a wild fire the longer they waited – a wild fire of pure terror and chaos.

And they couldn't let that happen – she couldn't let that happen. Not after everything they had worked for.

"We must remember that vigilance is the price of safety."

The Mayor finally finished his speech, wrapping up with a grim nod to the crowd. At the signal, the head of the Honour Guard called, "Standby. Honour Guard, attention!"

The Honour Guard moved in smooth synchronization, lifting their rifles to their shoulders as they began their salute.

Gordon and Rebecca continued to scan the area, tensing as they realized this might be the time when the Joker hit. They were almost done, and so close to the end. Not only was it the Joker's last opportunity but it was also potentially the most dramatic timing – to hit just when people would start to think everything was fine.

"Ready; aim-"

The Honour Guard pointed their rifles into the air as they readied to finish their salute.

"Fire!"

The men fired off one shot each, before returning to their ready positions.

Rebecca had tensed as the first round went off, almost having expected to finally see an assassin somewhere in the crowd and she had been ready to leap to save the Mayor if need be. But as nothing happened, her stress only increased and Rebecca took a deep breath to steel herself as the Honour Guard readied to fire the second round.

"Ready; aim; fire!"

The guards fired once more, but both Rebecca and Gordon started as they felt something wrong. There had been extra shots fired, they were certain of it; and both looked up quickly and then around the area, their eyes darting around as they sought to find the cause.

Rebecca spotted small movement in one of the windows to the far right, and she saw some of the SWAT members aiming their smoking rifles at said window. It could be the assassin but something wasn't right - the position was just a bit far to be ideal and getting caught so easily was too sloppy to be the Joker. No, somehow… it was a trap.

A cold sinking feeling in her gut told her to look back down, and Rebecca's eyes moved back towards the Honour Guards just as the head called for the third and final time.

"Ready."

Rebecca's eyes started to move to scan the crowd but paused as she noticed something strange on the Honour Guard standing closest to the stage. His face was mostly hidden beneath the Guards' customary caps, but just visible beneath the cap were strange raised marks – almost like scars… right on the corners of the man's mouth.

"Aim-!"

As one, the 'Honour Guards' turned and aimed their rifles right at the podium, directly at the Mayor who was still standing to honour Commissioner Loeb.

Gordon saw it at the same time Rebecca did, and both detectives lunged forwards at the same time - just before the head of the Honour Guards could shout the last order… and just before the Joker and his men could fire at the Mayor.

Rebecca was fully prepared to protect the Mayor, using herself as a shield; but before she even reached anywhere near the man she found herself falling back and away when a hand shoved her roughly aside.

Gordon meanwhile used the force of pushing Rebecca back to safety to propel himself forward even faster. The force and surprise of his actions had Rebecca falling onto her side just as a single gunshot fired, followed by a few more rounds and accompanying screams from the terrified crowd.

Out of pure instinct as her training kicked in before her mind could fully catch up, Rebecca drew her own gun as she rolled upright. Remaining crouched for better cover, she instantly looked around to regain her bearings only to find absolute chaos all around.

It was utter pandemonium down below the stage as the crowds of people ran screaming while officers moved about wildly to try and catch those responsible amongst the stampede.

The stage was an equal area of activity, and Rebecca spotted with a small amount of relief that the Mayor at least was being led off safely. But then her eyes landed on the form lying prone just beside the abandoned podium and the world just stopped.

All the noise, the screaming, the shouts, the gunfire; all the chaotic scrambling as people moved off the stage while those in the crowds ran for safety - all of it melted away.

The only thing that Rebecca could hear was her the blood roaring in her ears as time stood still for her; and the only thing she could see was Gordon lying in a small pool of his own blood, his glasses askew on his lined face, and his eyes closed as he remained unmoving.

"No." Rebecca whispered.

She watched numbly as Stephens, one of their fellow detectives, reached Gordon and leant over the crumpled man to check his wrist for a pulse… before he dropped the Lieutenant's hand shakily.

"NO!" Rebecca screamed, rushing forward.

Heedless of everything else around her – she had no doubt, a small bitter part of her mind told her, that the Joker would already be long gone – Rebecca threw herself onto her superior officer. Pressing her own fingers to his neck, she tried to find a pulse while the tears welled up in her eyes and she stared down in growing horror and heartbreak as she felt nothing.

"Gordon." Rebecca pleaded while Stephens bowed his head beside her. "Jim. Wake up. Jim. Jim!"

Rebecca's hand dropped from Jim's neck, landing on Gordon's chest where she clutched at the fabric of the older man's shirt as she screamed to the heavens in a sheer agonizing cry of pain-

"JIM!"

* * *

Rebecca stood grimly beside Stephens as they waited for Barbara to open the door to her house.

It was already dusk, even though they had tried to come as early as possible. The aftermath from the Joker's attack had taken hours to organize, and even then there had been nothing satisfactory to find. One man had been captured, a schizophrenic man whom the Joker had obviously left behind and who so far hadn't offered any useful information.

Rebecca didn't know the full details on the man as Harvey had taken over questioning the as yet unidentified man; and she hadn't been interested to know. Not yet.

Because there had been something more important, more pressing, for her and Stephens to do; something that was going to be painful but the least that Gordon and his family deserved.

It turned out they didn't even need to say a word.

Barbara didn't have to be told anything; for the second the brunette woman opened her door to see the officers' faces, she knew.

She knew from Stephens's sorrowful expression and Rebecca's tear-streaked face that the day she had prayed never to come… had finally come.

Her eyes filled with tears, and Barbara choked out in a heartbreaking whisper that tugged on Rebecca's heart, "No."

"I'm sorry, Barbara." Stephens murmured. It was a pitiful thing to say; and yet it was the only thing they could say.

Rebecca bowed her head, unable to look as she spotted a familiar tuft of blond hair coming up towards them from behind Barbara. Barbara's face crumpled as she stared at the officers, but she held herself together as best as she could as she looked down when her eight-year-old son paused just behind his mother.

"Jimmy, go inside and play with your sister. Go ahead."

Barbara shooed her son away, but Rebecca – glancing up briefly – could see the boy only moved away because he, too, knew. She could see it in the way the boy's face paled and became drawn that Jimmy had realized why she and Stephens were there, why his mother was so upset – why his father hadn't come home.

Turning back to the officers now that her son was back inside the house, Barbara whimpered, "Oh, God. Oh, Becky, please say no…"

She reached out towards them helplessly, and Rebecca took the older woman into her arms. The tears she thought she'd finished crying out earlier came back as Barbara sobbed into her embrace, the woman keening while Rebecca whispered hoarsely, "I'm sorry, Barbara. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."

"Are you listening?" Barbara wept, her voice thick and slightly muffled on Rebecca's shoulder. "Are you?"

Rebecca tensed while Barbara lifted her head from the redhead's shoulder, crying in a voice that cracked more than once, "You brought this craziness on us! _You_ did! You brought this on us-!"

Barbara choked, and she was unable to finish her words while Rebecca shushed the older woman softly. She patted Barbara's back as the woman collapsed back into tears on Rebecca's shoulder, and Rebecca's heart twisted and threatened to tear in half.

She could understand why Barbara had lashed out, could hear it in the utter anguish in the older woman's heartbroken accusations. And yet, the other part of her reached out to Bruce, who she _knew_ probably was hiding somewhere in the shadows nearby.

Rebecca could only imagine how he was feeling, and knew he was probably beating himself up mercilessly for what had happened. To now hear Barbara's tormented and blaming cries…

From the shadows above the house, Bruce watched silently as Rebecca hugged Barbara, giving what small comfort she could even when she knew there was none she could give to soothe the burning ache that Gordon's death had left behind in his family's hearts.

Every single one of Barbara Gordon's sobs felt like a knife was stabbing him in the gut – and her words felt like someone had taken alcohol and rubbed it into the cuts. His guilt burned from inside his very core, and his anger at his own helplessness grew the longer he watched Barbara's suffering.

Bruce had easily fallen into the Joker's trap, following a false lead into the abandoned flat where the real Honour Guards had been tied up, stripped of their uniforms. Where the Joker had even laid a timed coil to release the window blinds so Bruce would have a perfect view just before the Joker's real attack on the Mayor. At least, in theory he would have the perfect view.

The sudden release of the blinds had drawn the nearest SWAT guards' attention to the window where Bruce had been, and he had been forced to duck when they had fired on whom they thought to be a potential assassin.

And the Joker had attacked while Bruce was distracted.

By the time Bruce could peer – taking care not to be seen now that the window blinds had been opened – outside, it was already pandemonium and the Joker was gone. The only thing left for Bruce was the sight of Rebecca crouched over Gordon, sobbing her heart out as she screamed for the man who had become a father figure in her life.

And now Gordon was gone.

And Bruce didn't think he would ever be able to forget Rebecca's terrible scream of pure anguish, just as he wasn't likely to ever forget Barbara's heart wrenching cries and her sharp but true words aimed at him.

With a heavy heart, Bruce turned away and took off once more into the night.

* * *

By the time Stephens and Rebecca got back to the station, a few officers had lit the Bat Signal in the hopes that the Batman would come, and maybe remind them that there was still hope.

But Rebecca knew better. The Batman would be picking a bone with someone for answers tonight; he wouldn't have time for the police. And to be honest, the police didn't really have time for him either.

It was utter chaos at the MCU when she returned, and while Stephens went to check the roof with a small shred of hope, Rebecca launched herself into the work.

She needed the distraction, and the force needed her. Every cop and civilian who had been at the memorial parade needed to be questioned for potential connections to the Joker, and every scrap of potential evidence had to be reviewed and filed.

Rachel was also there to help, the DA office having joined forces with the police in the investigations, but the sisters barely had time to check on each other before they each fell neck-deep into their respective work.

"Get records on those fingerprint analyses next, and hand me those copies from the earlier ones now." Rebecca ordered as the team hurried about, swarming every corner of the office. "These checked out, but send them over to Ramirez and Assistant DA Dawes to confirm as well. We _cannot_ afford to lose him again."

"Yes, ma'am." The two officers moved off to do as she'd ordered.

One took the sachet of analyses over towards the team that was in charge of researching information on all the identified prospective suspects and witnesses, while the other – who had handed Rebecca the latest copies of findings – took the files on the witnesses she'd cleared over towards Ramirez and then Rachel.

"You're starting to really sound like a Sergeant now, Dawes." Stephens commented as he entered, carrying a large stack of papers himself, and Rebecca answered as she rubbed her face, "Someone has to."

She looked around, her heart clenching as she added dejectedly, "With Gordon gone, it's up to us now."

"You're doing good, Dawes." Stephens responded, awkwardly shifting his papers so he could pat her back firmly. "And Gordon would've been proud."

"Thanks, Stephens." Rebecca sighed, and Stephens nodded as he shifted his papers in his hands.

He paused, and added as he glanced around, "So, I see the Assistant DA, but where's Dent?"

"Probably investigating in his own office." Rebecca sighed as she opened yet another file. "He took charge of the suspect we caught; or, well, the suspect he caught."

"Yeah?" Stephens asked, raising a brow. "Well, I guess he always did have an irritating way of doing things on his own – sometimes rather questionably."

"You really don't like him?" Rebecca asked, glancing up at Stephens, and the man shrugged.

"Well, let's just say before he was 'Gotham's White Knight', Dent didn't get his nickname amongst the MCU for no reason." He replied vaguely.

Rebecca also raised a brow, but before she could comment, Rachel had hurried over, saying in a harried voice, "Becky, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Er-" Rebecca began, glancing at Stephens, but the man waved them ahead.

"Go on – you can take a two minute break, and I have to get through this now anyway." He indicated his pile, and Rebecca nodded gratefully.

"I'll back in one-and-a-half." She promised as she followed her sister to the only semi-secluded corner in the bustling station.

"Rach, what is it?" Rebecca asked in concern as she noted the nervous aura around her sister, and Rachel explained, "Harvey called me."

"Did he find anything?" Rebecca asked, frowning, and Rachel shook her head as she answered, "No… and yes."

Rebecca's frown deepened before she became alarmed as Rachel explained quickly, "Harvey called because he found my name as the Joker's next target."

"You're not serious." Rebecca said, blanching.

But Rachel replied grimly, "Unfortunately, I am. Harvey wants me to get somewhere safe, but I don't think I can go home; where we live isn't exactly a secret and it's not secure. And I'm worried that you'll get tangled in this as well, especially after what happened to Gordon, and-"

"I'll be fine, I'll be here the whole time." Rebecca interrupted, her blue eyes steeling as she met her sister's gaze. "It's _you_ we should worry about right now."

"Harvey said the same thing, but there's nowhere for me to go with both of you working." Rachel answered grimly, but Rebecca corrected, "Bruce can take care of you."

"Becky-" Rachel began to protest, but Rebecca interrupted firmly, "You can't disagree, Rach. His penthouse is safer than our flat or even Harvey's place, and we can be sure to trust him and Alfred to keep you safe."

Rebecca glanced around meaningfully at their surroundings, where they knew somewhere they had a mole - or several moles.

Rachel's lips pursed; but she also had other reasons to see the appeal in Rebecca's propositions so she nodded at last.

"All right." Rachel said decidedly, while also secretly making a firm resolution inside her mind. "I'll text you when I get to his place so you'll know I made it there safely. You should also come to Bruce's and not go home – just in case."

"If I _get_ to go home." Rebecca answered as she looked around at the many officers rushing about with files and phones in their hands as they tried to deal with the aftermath of the Joker's attack.

"You can't not sleep forever." Rachel answered, hugging her sister briefly. "I'll see you later."

"Don't forget to text me." Rebecca reminded, and Rachel promised as the two sisters parted, "I won't."


	23. Decisions

Bruce came home, his mind whirling with thoughts and grim preparations for the next day.

His meeting with Maroni had been as unsuccessful as he should have expected after everything they had experienced with the Joker in the last few days. The mobster knew nothing on the Joker, and not only did he not know but he had pointed out what Bruce had known deep inside but hadn't wanted to face – no-one was going to sell out the Joker, even if they could.

It was too well known that the Batman had rules, rules against needless violence, against guns... and against killing.

The Joker, however, had no rules. Something Bruce was only just starting to fully grasp. It was as Alfred had said - some men didn't want money or anything to gain personally. Some men… just wanted to see the world burn.

Seeing Harvey Dent later that night hadn't exactly improved Bruce's mood either. The man was clearly starting to reach the end of his patience, and Gordon's death and the discovery that Rachel was being targeted next was driving him to more desperate measures. His yells, almost screeches, after Batman still rang in Bruce's head even now, a few hours later.

" _You can't give in!_ "

Bruce sighed. He knew Harvey meant well, but the White Knight of Gotham didn't understand - Bruce didn't have a choice anymore. It was painfully clear that the Joker would not stop until the Batman turned himself in. And Bruce couldn't have another death on his hands, especially when he knew it was only a matter of time before the Joker targeted Rebecca as well.

Bruce paused in his doorway when he saw the tall, feminine silhouette standing by the repaired window where Rebecca had been thrown out just three nights ago, staring out at Gotham below.

"You got home late." Rachel commented as she turned to look at Bruce, and Bruce pulled a cocky smile onto his tired face.

"Yes, well, I was engaged elsewhere." He answered. After all, he was telling the truth – technically. "I'm sorry if you stayed up waiting for me?"

His voice lifted curiously at the end of his sentence, turning his comment into a question as Bruce wondered why Rachel was up and clearly waiting. He'd expected her to either go to bed or sit waiting for her sister – yet, Rachel's body language as she faced him clearly said she had been waiting for _him_.

Rachel folded her arms, and she jerked her head back towards the window as she commented with only a half-attempt at casualty, "You got this fixed fast."

"Well, I can afford to pay to be put on priority." Bruce answered with a half-smirk. "And, the breeze I was getting was a little _too_ much."

His smile dimmed slightly however when Rachel noted in a barbed tone, "I don't remember seeing you at the party after the Joker arrived."

"No," Bruce pulled a sheepish expression, "I, well, don't tell anyone – I don't want to deal with the bad press – but I hid when I heard the crazy guy arrive. I didn't want to accidentally get caught in any crossfire."

"Let's agree to cut the bull, Bruce." Rachel said flatly.

Bruce's slight smile dropped completely as she stated, staring him right in the eye, "I know you're lying, and that you have been lying the entire time since you came back to Gotham."

"What do you mean?" Bruce continued to feign ignorance, but his eyes had narrowed just slightly as he realized there was no fooling Rachel - not anymore.

"I saw the way you looked at Becky when you finished your speech for Harvey." Rachel said quietly.

Bruce tensed as Rachel went on, ""You act like this rich playboy, this selfish man who doesn't care about anything or anyone but himself. And it was always strange to me that Becky continued to defend you despite that. I know she _can_ be a sweetheart when she wants to, but she normally hates people like the kind you've been acting as."

"Rachel-" Bruce began, but the brunette woman held up a hand as she said firmly, "I'm not finished, Bruce."

Bruce went silent, waiting, as Rachel continued, "And the thing is, I couldn't understand why she suddenly started condoning your behaviour when I _know_ she was as upset with you as I was – if not more so."

Rachel sighed before she went on, "What I never realized was that her sudden change in attitude towards you started right after the whole fiasco with Crane and his fear toxin. When the Batman saved her and then took her to be cured."

Bruce's shoulders bunched very slightly as he tensed, but he didn't interrupt as Rachel went on pointedly, "And three nights ago, I _finally_ saw what I'd been missing."

Rachel looked him straight in the eye as she asked, "Did you jump out of this window to save my sister because it was the right thing to do… or because you love her?"

A heavy silence followed as Bruce met Rachel's blue-eyed gaze unflinchingly.

He could see that she knew not just his secret but also exactly how he felt about Rebecca. It was clear her question was more a demand for him to say the words aloud; Bruce could see in her eyes (which really did look too much like Rebecca's for comfort) that Rachel knew the answer as well as he did.

"I saved her because I love her."

Bruce's voice was quiet even in the deathly silence surrounding them, but there was no mistaking the honest ring that seemed to resound like a gong around the room.

Rachel sucked in a sharp breath at his admission.

Another long silence stretched between them, before Rachel said in a low voice, "Harvey called before you came home – he said the Batman is going to turn himself in."

"I have no choice." Bruce answered shortly, but Rachel asked sharply, "And what about Becky?"

"That's why I have to do it, Rachel."

Rachel stared at Bruce as the man turned to stare out of the window and out at the city below, his eyes unseeing as he watched the glittering lights.

"It'll only be a matter of time before Becky is targeted as well. He got Gordon, and he's already going after you. She's the obvious next choice for this guy to go after. I'm going to turn myself in before that can happen." Bruce murmured and Rachel frowned.

"You _honestly_ think it's going to stop the Joker if the Batman turns himself in?" She asked skeptically, and Bruce sighed.

"Perhaps not." He admitted. "But, it might be enough to divert his attention from the people. I've got enough blood on my hands, and I see now what I have to become to stop men like him."

Bruce turned back to Rachel then, meeting her eyes squarely as he added calmly, "No-one knows about Becky and I aside from Alfred and now you. At the very least, if I turn myself in, the Joker won't have reason to target her. She'll be safe."

"You really believe that?" Rachel asked skeptically, but Bruce answered firmly, "Yes, I do."

"You don't think you'll hurt Becky when you leave her behind?" Rachel challenged. "Because you _have_ to realize that if you turn yourself in, they aren't going to let you go."

"I know."

Bruce didn't say any more as he looked out the window once more, and Rachel pursed her lips.

"Well, it's not my place to tell you what to do." Rachel muttered at last, turning to go to the guest bedroom Alfred had kindly prepared for her to stay in for the night.

"But… think about what I said, Bruce. I don't want my sister to get hurt, and I really think you should think this through carefully."

 _I have._

Bruce didn't say the words but they hung in the air between them as Rachel walked away from him. He watched her go for a moment before he turned and stared out the window once more.

* * *

Rebecca never managed to get home that night.

With all the paperwork they had to file, sort, and dig through, it was all she could do not to drown herself in coffee as she tried to somehow stay awake and alert enough to try and find any lead on the Joker. But when the sun began to peek over the horizon, she was forced to acknowledge that she was barely able to keep her eyes open let alone find anything.

"This is ridiculous." She muttered, running a frustrated hand through her tangled red hair as she tried her hardest not to think what seemed to be the only inevitable answer.

There was just nothing to find.

The Joker, somehow, just did not have any prints or any hints to identify him; he didn't leave any clues as to where he might be or who he was before he painted his face. He barely even seemed to exist despite the ever-increasing body count under his name.

A count that might soon include Rachel.

Rebecca tightened her clenched fists on her desk before she abruptly pushed away from the piles of useless information before her.

"Where are you going?" Stephens called after her, and Rebecca answered grimly, "I'm going to check if we can't find more information."

"From where?" Stephens asked skeptically, but Rebecca muttered as she walked out, "Anywhere. There has to be something we didn't check."

It was a careful balance of truth and lie - she knew exactly where she was going to go. But she also knew that there was definitely more that they at the MCU couldn't check; but she knew someone who might have more answers. And that was where she was going.

Thankfully, she had the car today so she was already dialing on her cell as she climbed in.

However, she frowned when Bruce didn't pick up.

' _Is he sleeping?_ ' She wondered, though she doubted it. Bruce rarely slept, even before this; he wasn't likely to be sleeping now with the Joker around.

But then, why else was he not responding?

Switching off her call, she began dialing the penthouse instead, in the hopes of reaching Alfred, when the radio on her car suddenly announced, "Breaking News."

Rebecca tensed instantly. Had the Joker struck again?

"We interrupt this broadcast to inform you that the Batman has turned himself in-"

Rebecca hit her brakes so fast she almost gave herself whiplash. She had pulled over as she did, and she almost missed the rest of the announcement between the cars honking, her ow beating heart that seemed to thunder in her ears, and the shrill sound of her phone as Stephens called the entire force.

"- revealed to have been district attorney, Harvey Dent. DA Dent, who called a press conference this morning for an important announcement, admitted to being the man behind the mask…"

"Dawes." Rebecca barely managed to croak out as she automatically and numbly answered her phone.

"Dawes! Get to the courthouse and get to Dent!" Stephens yelled, amidst the cacophony behind him that could be easily heard over the phone. "He needs full police protection while we bring him in for questioning."

"Of course." Rebecca answered distractedly, and Stephens checked in concern, "Are you okay?"

"Fine." Rebecca choked out, and Stephens noted, "You don't sound fine. Oh, right… your sister's dating Dent isn't she?"

"Yes." Rebecca replied briefly, and Stephens sighed.

"I'm sorry, Dawes." He said sympathetically but firmly. "But we need your help to bring him in - especially if we want to bring him in alive."

"Of course, sir." Rebecca answered.

Thankfully, Stephens hung up soon after, needing to see to other things and probably quiet down the MCU so they could focus - at least, if the distracted yelling that Rebecca had heard over the phone was any indication.

But all of her awareness for that was happening mostly in the back corner of her mind, probably close to her subconscious. Mostly, Rebecca still sat, stunned, by the double, shocking blows that she had just received.

Her initial reaction to the news that 'Batman' had turned himself in had filled her with a cold dread; just the idea that Bruce might have done something so drastic and incredibly dangerous was frightening. Not only would she undoubtedly lose him in the following inevitable chaotic outbursts from the public not to mention the justice system, but Rebecca had no doubt the Joker would come looking for 'the man behind the mask'.

And she did _not_ want to even think how a confrontation between Bruce Wayne, not the Batman, and the Joker would go.

The news that Bruce had not been that incredibly stupid filled her with relief; but the news that it had been Harvey who had been so incredibly reckless filled her with a worry that clashed terribly with that relief. The resulting feeling was a sickening weight in her stomach and a pressing headache as her already worn-out mind struggled to process everything.

It felt as though her world had spun, crashed, and then straightened out partially all in the space of the one minute. For while she supposed her current situation was better than if Bruce had been the one to be arrested, it was definitely not ideal.

' _Oh, let's be real._ ' Rebecca thought to herself morosely as she pulled out again and turned her car around, heading straight for the courthouse where Harvey was. ' _Nothing has been ideal since the damned Joker._ '

* * *

Bruce sped his way home, cursing silently. Things were not good.

Bruce had to admit, he had not seen this morning coming.

If someone had told him two weeks - no, even one week - ago that he would have been planning to turn himself in as Batman only to be blindsided by the poster-boy of Gotham city, Bruce would have laughed. It would have been too absurd to even consider coming out with the truth about his identity, particularly since giving the Batman an identity made him vulnerable the same way any man was while currently the Batman could be above that. And as a symbol, he couldn't be touched the way a man like Bruce Wayne could be. But the idea that Harvey Dent (who had everything going for him) would risk his reputation, his career, and _his life_ for a masked vigilante he didn't know? That could have been even more ridiculous.

In fact, it was still unbelievable and Bruce cursed himself just as much as he was internally cursing Harvey, for not having anticipated this.

Yes, Harvey was just as anxious to catch the Joker as Bruce was; but Bruce had thought that Harvey's glowing career and his blossoming romance with Rachel would have made the DA more cautious.

Apparently, Dent wasn't as cautious as Bruce had thought he would be – or rather, Bruce hadn't realized the blond DA could be as stubborn as Batman. Dent was clearly making a play to try and draw the Joker out into the open by going into custody as a suspect for the Batman, a play he was also likely hoping the real Batman would capitalize on to capture the Joker.

But there was also every chance that that stubbornness could very well cost the man his life.

Well, Bruce determined grimly as he straightened his back and squared his shoulders. That wasn't going to happen - not on his watch. He owed it to the man, not least of all because he was Rachel's boyfriend. Harvey was a good man. And Bruce wasn't about to watch a good man die for him.

As Bruce drove quickly back to get ready, he recalled something else one of the protesters outside Harvey Dent's press conference had shouted.

It had been before Dent's announcement and as Bruce himself had been preparing to announce the true identity behind the Batman. He had been passing the group of protesters - who had been calling for a stop to the Joker - when one yelled.

"No more dead cops!"

That comment, that _demand_ , had struck him too close to home. It was a reminder of just how endangered Rebecca was for her position alone. They'd lost Gordon because he was a good cop. And Bruce didn't know what he'd do if he lost Rebecca too.

' _Don't think like that._ ' He scolded himself. ' _She's safe with her team. He can't get her._ '

He ignored the tiny part of his brain that prayed he would be right.

* * *

Rebecca sighed as she watched Harvey, who was handcuffed, come out into the backlot of the police station to the sarcastic applause of one Detective Wuertz.

It was clear that Rachel had been arguing with him (or more like pleading with him) but the DA was obviously determined to stick to his guns - so to speak. At last, Rachel was forced to step back, unable legally to come any further as Rachel and her men stepped up to put Harvey in the back of the heavy-armoured SWAT van.

Harvey used the last moment to press a deep kiss on Rachel, pulling away reluctantly when Ramirez tugged on his jacket, and Rebecca shook her head when Harvey sent Rachel a last winning smile.

"Heads I go through with it." He told the older Dawes sister before flipping his lucky coin.

Rachel caught the coin with a mix of exasperation and fondness; and worry.

"I can't believe you're leaving this up to chance." Rachel muttered, and Harvey's smile just widened.

"I'm not." He answered, before he was handed over to Rebecca and Rachel was forced to stay behind.

"What were you thinking?" She asked the blond man as she took over from Ramirez, who backed off without a word. Rebecca nodded to where Rachel stood, watching Harvey with worried eyes.

"You're making my sister worried sick."

"It'll be worth a few hours of worrying her if we can catch the Joker." Harvey answered calmly.

Catching sight of Rebecca's face, he insisted, "Come on, Sergeant. You can't honestly say you aren't as keen as I am to nab this terrorist as quickly as possible. He had Rachel's name on a tag, he's specified her out as his next target. We have to stop him before he can get to her, and this is the best chance."

"I'd prefer if we could do that without using you as bait." Rebecca answered dryly as she hoisted Harvey up into the back of the SWAT van, and Harvey chuckled.

"It was you or me, Rebecca - and I think she'd be more worried if it were you." Harvey replied, and Rebecca rolled her eyes.

"We get through this, Dent, and I'll hand it to you." She replied as she stepped out while the rest of her men piled in beside Harvey. "But if we get our asses handed back to us, then you have to sit quietly while I say 'I told you so'."

"Deal." Harvey grinned and Rebecca shut the door on him.

Turning, she moved back to where her sister stood.

"I'll look after him." Rebecca promised and Rachel sighed.

"Just be sure to look after yourself too, Becky." Rachel said.

She then hesitated before adding in a soft tone, "And call me later. There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Okay…?" Rebecca said, looking at Rachel oddly, but the older Dawes sister just smiled and shook her head.

"Later."

"Okay, later." Rebecca agreed. "And don't forget to text me when you get home."

She then turned, calling as she moved toward the front of the van holding Dent, "Okay, let's move it! Move it, people, look alive!"

As her orders were repeated and carried out around the lot, Rebecca hoisted herself up into the driver's cab of the van. Only to blink as she found a heavily armoured SWAT officer, complete with tinted helmet, already sitting in the driver's seat.

"Hey, I don't think you're supposed to be here." Rebecca commented, before she frowned as the man ignored her. "Look, pal-"

The man turned, flipping up his helmet partially as he did so only she could see his face, and Rebecca blinked.

"Oh."


	24. Trap

Rebecca drove the SWAT van in silence, her tight grip on the handle the only sign of her nervousness as she followed the police car leading the convoy down the streets.

The night was unusually still and silent, the GCPD having blocked off all streets within 5 mile radius' of the route they were intended to take to get Harvey to central holding. It added to the feeling of ominousness and while Rebecca couldn't say this was the worst drive she'd ever taken in the darkened streets of Gotham, it was definitely the most nerve-wracking. Her "backseat" passenger of course only made it all the more so.

' _He had to raise the stakes._ ' Rebecca thought sourly as she drove carefully down the streets, most of her senses on high alert as they waited for any sign of the Joker. ' _Harvey could have just stayed low and safe with Rachel but he had to raise the stakes. I'm starting to realize what Bruce feels when he sees me going out on limbs to catch criminals that he's already working on._ '

"Hang on, we see something. Over."

Rebecca tensed at the message that came over the police radio, and beside her, her shotgun officer's grip tightened on his gun.

Grabbing the microphone on the radio, Rebecca asked, "What is it? Over."

"Obstruction ahead. Obstruction ahead." Detective Stephens called. "All units, be advised. All units will exit down Cheviot west and proceed north on lower 5th avenue."

Rebecca frowned, disliking the idea. The tunnel was too cramped, too easy to block and too easy to set up ahead of time for an attack. They could easily be trapped or made into targets if they went down Cheviot west, but at the same time she knew they had no choice. By now, they were close enough that they could also see the faint outline of a burning fire truck in the middle of the road, blocking their path completely. Besides which, it was a direct order from Stephens and most of the convoy would obey.

"Better buckle up." Rebecca muttered, and she swore her shotgun rider snorted softly.

But it was with grim seriousness that Rebecca turned the car handle, shifting left as the entire convoy moved away from the streey and down the Cheviot west tunnel.

They had barely made it fully into the tunnel when another van - more of a small truck - came out from the shadows behind them and raced up alongside the last police car in the convoy.

"Coincidence?" Rebecca asked dryly, and beside her the SWAT officer shook his head. "Yeah, I didn't think so either."

It was as Rebecca spoke that the mystery truck - which she now realized was a garbage truck - rammed into the side of the police car, sending the vehicle spinning away where it crashed into a pillar. Rebecca's jaw tightened as the truck closed in on them, ramming the next police car out of the way as well.

"Sh*t." She muttered, just before the garbage truck finally caught up to them.

The truck rammed into the back of their van just as Rebecca stomped on the gas. They all jolted at the impact of the truck's hit, but Rebecca then sped them away, coming in dangerously close toward the SWAT van in front of theirs.

"We have a situation here. We need backup. Over!" She called into the police radio, just as the truck rammed into the back of their van again.

"Affirmative." Came the response from the van in front of her.

"I really hope Dent put on his seatbelt." Rebecca muttered.

In quite possibly the worst twist of irony, a truck - one of the heavy, container ones - came barrelling out of the shadows, ramming right into the SWAT van in front of theirs.

"Oh, SH*T!"

Rebecca swerved their van, barely managing not to smash right into the truck now obstructing their path while the other SWAT van went careening out of control. The garbage truck that had been following them tried to chase them but it was heavier and didn't make the turn fast enough and it bumped into the larger truck. The truck that had smashed into the other SWAT van wasn't done however, and it rammed forwards once more, sending the SWAT van spiraling away before it smashed right through the concrete barrier of the lower level tunnel. The van flew into the Gotham river, and Rebecca sucked in a sharp breath.

"Hold on!"

She stomped on the gas, and her partner grunted slightly as he was pressed back into his seat at the sudden start. Rebecca paid him no attention as she screeched down the road, while the garbage truck that had been tailing them followed quickly. The large truck was close behind as it rammed its way into the opposite lane where it picked up speed to catch up with Rebecca's van.

"What the hell?" She muttered as the truck came up alongside them and she glanced to the side before she grimaced.

On the side of truck's container was an advertisement for a carnival of some kind, with a picture of a ferris wheel and the slogan, 'LAUGHTER is the best medicine.' Except someone, and Rebecca had a strong feeling she knew who, had painted a big, red 'S' in front of the word 'LAUGHTER'.

As if to confirm her suspicions, the door of the container slid open to reveal the Joker in his purple-suited glory along with several of his henchmen.

"Aw, hell."

Rebecca's grip on the wheel tightened as the Joker drew his gun. And then he did the first predictable action that she knew of: he fired on the SWAT van.

Rebecca grimaced as she and her shotgun partner ducked forward just in case one of the bullets managed to crack the windows on the driver cab while the Joker opened fire on the van. The bullets made dents in the heavy metal, but luckily the SWAT van did as it was built to do and none of them pierced through.

Rebecca grunted as the garbage truck behind them rammed into them again, before she yelped as the Joker - having run out of bullets in his machine gun - began to fire a shotgun at them.

"Hell!" She hissed as she slammed on the gas.

But it only succeeded in creating a minor distance between them and the garbage truck while the Joker's truck drew up alongside them once more as the Joker pelted all of his bullets into the side of the SWAT van.

Still, the van's armour held, and Rebecca inhaled deeply when the Joker ran out of bullets in his shotgun. _Please let that be all he had, please let that be all he prepared..._

The Joker held out his hand, dropping his useless shotgun, and one of his minions handed him a RPG.

' _Son of a-_ '

Rebecca swore as the Joker fired at the police car in front of their van, taking out the car's back wheel. It slowed the car down, forcing her to slow down as well and Rebecca grunted as the garbage truck slammed into their van once again.

The Joker meanwhile had reloaded his RPG and Rebecca's grip on the wheel was white.

"Come on, where are you..." Rebecca muttered, just as the Joker fired… only for the missile to hit the road right beside the front police car as something hit the butt of the Joker's RPG and caused him to misfire.

It still sent the car careening out of the way but Rebecca now had a clear path. And a small smile appeared on her face as she saw the Batmobile speeding down the tunnel right toward her.

' _About time.'_ Rebecca thought before she slammed down on the gas now that her path was cleared once more.

Beside her, the shotgun soldier's grip tightened almost reflexively on his rifle as the Batmobile came speeding right for them.

At the last second, Rebecca swerved out of the way, fighting to remain in control of the van least it go skidding, while the Batmobile rammed head-on into the garbage truck that had been tailing Rebecca's van.

The force of the impact had the garbage truck tilting back, but the Batmobile continued on, ramming itself into the underside of the lifted truck. Inside the vehicle, Bruce worked his controls as he forced the truck backward, disabling its wheels completely while taking it far away from Rebecca, before he finally released the truck and spun the Batmobile around once more.

As soon as he was facing forward, Bruce hit the gas and the Batmobile shot forward after Rebecca and the Joker who was still tagging along right beside the SWAT van. As he drove, Bruce adjusted his controls, shifting his seat from the left of the car to the centre and he tilted the handles before leaning forward. Immediately, the seat shifted again, pushing him into weapons mode as Bruce aimed.

Up ahead, Rebecca was swerving down the road, avoiding civilian vehicles as they finally hit the part of the tunnel that had _not_ been in the police radius - not ideal but it was that or stop inside the radius and wait for the Joker to kill them. And she really preferred not to do the latter. Especially since the Joker appeared to already be pissed at them.

The Joker's henchmen were firing at the SWAT van, but as of yet the Joker had yet to be able to have stable enough balance to fire his RPG again now that he too was faced with civilian vehicles blocking his path. His driver - not wanting to slow them down by hitting the other cars - was doing his job by avoiding as many crashes as he could but the result meant that the Joker and his men were constantly swinging about as their truck swerved unpredictably.

Finally, he straightened and managed to position the RPG over his right shoulder. He took quick aim at the SWAT vehicle… and fired.

And Rebecca sucked in a sharp breath as there was a bang and a ball of flames erupted at the backend of the Batmobile where the missile hit the vehicle as it literally flew up into the air between the Joker's truck and the SWAT van.

"Oh, God." Rebecca breathed before she grunted as the Batmobile hit the back of the SWAT van as it went crashing down.

The force sent the SWAT van off course, and she held the wheel for dear life as the van swerved violently while the Batmobile went screeching along the road behind them. The black vehicle was lit in flames as it smashed through barriers and pillars from the force of the missile hitting it at point-blank range.

The SWAT van meanwhile came to a screeching halt as it finally stopped spinning, and Rebecca groaned. Her head was buzzing from the shock and the impact, and her first thoughts were, ' _Please be okay, Bruce. Please, please, be okay.'_

Then her police training returned and Rebecca looked up to see the Joker clambering into the driver's seat of his truck, clearly ready to take things into his own hands.

"He couldn't just die." She muttered before she hit the gas once more.

The one, small miracle was that the van had stopped spinning while facing the right direction. So she didn't have to waste any time as she sped down the road once more, swerving around other cars that did their best to move out of the way after the fiery display they'd just witnessed.

The somewhat unfortunate result of this was that the Joker's path was equally clear as he smashed his way onto their side of the road before speeding after the SWAT van.

' _Bruce, please be all right._ ' Rebecca pleaded to herself as she drove. ' _And God I hope I live to meet him when he comes back._ '

Rebecca swerved onto the off-ramp at last, heading back up out of the tunnel. The Joker sped after her, heedless of the way his reckless driving had the container hold of his truck smashing into the tunnel pillars after his crazy turn to follow her.

Now that they were back up on the street, however, the advantage was with the GCPD, and Rebecca called into the police microphone, "Sergeant Dawes, requesting air support. We've got the Joker tailing us. Repeat, requesting air support. Over."

"Roger that, Sergeant. We've got your signal. We're heading your way now. Over."

Rebecca let out a shaky breath though she remained on high alert as she sped down the street.

"Right turn." Her shotgun partner said suddenly, and she muttered, "Now you say something, and it's to say that?"

But she did as he said, pulling a sharp right that led them onto a large, wide street back within the police perimeter. A moment later, their police chopper came flying into view, the search light flashing brightly as the Joker's truck turned the corner after Rebecca.

But then something strange happened.

The chopper suddenly jerked, as if it had hit something invisible in the air, before it suddenly spun. And Rebecca's eyes widened as the chopper swung around some invisible line before it came spinning wildly down toward them. The tail smashed into a building on the chopper's way down, crashing into the office windows before the chopper fell right into the street before them.

Rebecca braced herself as the chopper exploded upon hitting the street, skidding toward their van. The combined momentum of the two vehicles had the chopper going crashing over the front hood of the van, over the roof, and smashing back down on the other side. The SWAT van swerved unsteadily but Rebecca fought to maintain control and she soon had them racing down the street once more with the Joker's truck behind them.

"Where is he?" Her shotgun partner asked in a low voice, and Rebecca answered tightly, "He'll be here."

Her partner didn't answer, and Rebecca could almost feel the heavy skepticism in his silence.

"He _will_." She insisted. "I believe in him."

Almost on cue, something dark and billowing came crashing through a pile of trash cans from a small alley just behind them. And Rebecca smiled as she saw the Batpod swivel so that it was in the middle of the street with the Batman facing the Joker's truck. As soon as the Batpod was steady, it shot forward once more, heading right for the Joker's truck.

Inside the driver's seat of the truck, the Joker's lips curved into a smirk that was dark and had no hint of the amusement he usually seemed to exude constantly.

"Come on. Come on." He muttered as he stared the Batman down.

On the Batpod, Bruce leant even more forward, flattening himself against the bike while he clicked on the controls of the Batpod's guns. The guns cocked, loaded and readied, and he grit his teeth as he approached the Joker's truck. He had one shot to time this right.

As the two vehicles came within twenty feet of each other, Bruce fired. The harpoon shot out from the Batpod, latching onto the front grate of the truck. The steel rope attached to it tightened as Bruce swerved the bike to the right quickly, narrowly avoiding ramming head-first into the truck, and he bent even lower forward as he swiftly swerved left. The Batpod shot under the container of the truck, coming out on the other side, and Bruce quickly sped down the street behind some street lights.

He released the rope still attached to his bike, letting the end weight hit the butt of one of the street lamps, while inside the truck the Joker shouted incredulously, "He missed!"

But the Batman's intentions became clear one second later when the truck suddenly jerked. The street lamps were pulled sharply up out of the ground, like carrots being pulled by a farmer, but it was still enough to force the truck to come to a stop. The sudden stop and the rope caused the truck to trip up, and the truck toppled forward over the steel rope. The momentum pitched the back of the truck high up and over, and the truck came to a crashing halt upside down in the middle of the road.

Rebecca hit the brakes, stopping their van further down the street from the Joker's crash-site, and she quickly unbuckled herself at the same time as her partner did.

Outside, the Batman spun his Batpod around, revved his engines, and then with the loud screech of tires on asphalt he sped toward the Joker's truck.

The Joker himself forced himself out of his seat, his hand still on his last machine gun. He fell out of the driver's cab of the truck, landing on his back on the road with a groan. He recovered quickly as he jerked himself up to his feet - at least, he thought he had recovered until he quickly lost his balance in his dazed state and he pitched forward.

His finger - still on the trigger - curled reflexively as the ground came toward his face, and the Joker groaned as he fell forward while he accidentally fired bullets everywhere. He pushed himself back up, using the gun like a walking stick, and he looked around at the crash, the crushed truck and the steel rope that swung above him.

The sound of screeching tires had him look to the end of the road, and he leered when he saw the Batpod approaching him.

Stalking forward, his steps growing stronger with each step, he strode to meet the Batman at the same time he lifted his gun and opened fire. But he made no attempt to fire at the Batman, instead hitting the vehicles parked along the road on either side of the approaching vigilante.

"Come on." The Joker muttered as he watched the Batman approach. "Come on."

The Batman's speed increased as he came closer and the Joker fired just to the left of the Batman, some of his bullets clanging against the Batpod's metal sides.

"Come on. Come on, I want you to hit me." The Joker muttered as he stared the approaching vigilante down. "Come on, I want you to hit me."

Bruce's eyes narrowed behind his mask as he noted the distinct way the Joker was aiming to his sides, and he read the crazed intentions on the painted clown's face.

"Hit me. Hit me."

The Joker had at this point lowered his gun, holding it loosely at his side as he drilled holes on the Batman's forehead with his gaze he was staring him down so hard.

"Hit me. Hit me!"

Bruce's jaw tightened as he approached the madman at impossible speed, neither he nor the Joker yielding as they faced each other dead on.

"Hit me! Hit me!"

Bruce let out a wordless yell as he came within fifty feet of the Joker, who shouted again, "Hit me!"

But the Batman didn't, instead swerving to his right at the last second. The Batpod skidded as the Batman turned the vehicle in a last minute attempt to brake, and the Joker turned with almost disappointment on his painted features as the Batpod hit the crashed truck and the Batman tumbled off onto the road.

The Joker tsked, before - completely ignoring his gun - he reached into his left pocket and pulled his switch knife. One of his henchmen - one of the few survivors from the crash - was already pushing the Batman onto his back as the Joker approached. The henchman reached down to remove the Batman's mask… only to be electrocuted by a blast so powerful it sent him flying back.

"Ha!"

The Joker let out a joyous little laugh as he skipped the last few yards between him and the Batman, and he leapt atop the Batman. Blowing a raspberry in the Batman's face, the Joker then proceeded to kneel down over the Batman and he grabbed the man by his lapels with one hand while he pressed his knife to the Batman's jugular with his right hand.

But before he could even place the knife to any exposed skin let alone a vital point, a barrel pressed against his head along with two audible clicks two guns being cocked.

"Oh." The Joker groaned in disappointment before he wheedled, "Can you just give me a second?"

The owner of the gun against his temple was obviously not amused as he shoved the Joker to the side. The Joker fell onto his back and immediately a foot landed on his right wrist, stopping him from raising his knife. The Joker looked up to see none other than Liuetenant James Gordon, dressed in full SWAT gear sans his helmet as he pointed his rifle at the Joker's chest while his foot pressed down firmly on the Joker's wrist.

"We got you, you son of a b*tch."

The Joker released his knife, and his eyes travelled to the side as a second figure appeared and quickly kicked the knife out of reach. His dark eyes met the gaze of Sergeant Rebecca Dawes, who also had her gun pointed at the Joker, and the Joker smiled.


	25. Double Double

Gordon pulled open the SWAT van backdoor, and Harvey looked over, startled.

The blond man's eyes widened as he saw exactly who was releasing him, before he grinned and relaxed.

"Lieutenant," Harvey said with wry approval. "You do like to play it pretty close to the chest"

Gordon smiled back, before he revealed, "We got him, Harvey."

Harvey's face lit up although he only nodded in response. Gordon extended his hand, and Harvey took it. Gordon helped Harvey out of the van and the two men shook hands, before Harvey looked over Gordon's shoulder as Rebecca appeared behind her superior, grinning from ear to ear despite the clear exhaustion that hung around her.

"Looks like you won't be telling me 'I told you so' after all, Sergeant." Harvey said smugly, and Rebecca chuckled.

"I'm happy not to, Counselor." She replied, before looking at Gordon.

"The press have already arrived." She informed him. "Couldn't keep the hyenas away. Sorry."

"It's fine." Gordon shrugged, before nodding at Harvey. "Just help the Counselor get through them, okay?"

"Yes sir." Rebecca answered with a mock salute, and Gordon wagged a warning finger at her.

"Don't you get cheeky with me, Sergeant." He mock-warned and Rebecca smiled.

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir."

Gordon chuckled as Rebecca led Harvey with her, the pair almost instantly getting assaulted by the press while more of Rebecca's men hurried to provide a police escort for Harvey.

"Mr. Dent! Mr. Dent!"

They all called, while one of the reporters shoved his microphone in Harvey's face as he asked, "How does it feel to be the biggest hero in Gotham?"

More microphones clamoured to get Harvey's reply, and Rebecca did her best to keep the pushy press from getting too close even as Harvey replied graciously, "No, I'm no hero. Gotham's finest, they're the heroes."

"Have you and your office have been working with the Batman all along?" The reporter insisted, and Harvey shook his head.

"No." He corrected. "But I trusted him to do the right thing."

"Which was?" Another reporter prompted and Harvey replied without missing a beat, "Saving my ass."

With a polite nod, he pushed his way forward and Rebecca aided him as she called, "All right, that's enough! Let him through, please!"

Ramirez joined in to help keep the press at bay as Rebecca escorted Harvey to the police car that had been prepared for him.

"Thanks, Rebecca." Harvey muttered in relief as soon as they were out of range of the reporters, and she shrugged.

"It was the least I could do." She answered, and Harvey insisted, "No, really. I have a date with a pretty upset fiancee, so really appreciate it."

That had Rebecca screeching to a halt.

"You proposed to my sister?" Rebecca asked, turning on Harvey in shock.

He blinked, before muttering sheepishly, "Oh, um… yes."

At Rebecca's gawking, he added hastily, "She only accepted last night, so she probably just didn't have the time to tell you."

"Uh huh." Rebecca nodded as her mind whirred. Suddenly, her sister wanting her to call made sense - she probably wanted to make sure they talked.

Rebecca then fixed her eyes back on Harvey as she demanded, "Wait, so you proposed to my sister then set yourself up as bait for the Joker?"

Harvey's guilty look was all the answer she needed, and Rebecca shook her head.

"May God help you when you get home." She told him and Harvey grinned.

"Thanks Rebecca." He said sincerely. He turned to clamber into the vehicle, before he paused and turned back to her.

"And I swear, I'll look after Rachel. I'll make her happy."

"You'd better because if you don't, I don't care if I'd lose my badge I'd take you down." Rebecca threatened but a playful smile was on her lips. "Although I believe in you, Harvey Dent."

He smiled back before he finally got into the back of the car.

Rebecca moved to get into the driver's seat, but Wuertz offered, "I can drive Dent home."

"It's okay, I've got it." Rebecca replied, but Wuertz shook his head.

"You're exhausted, Serge." He pointed out. "You've been on the clock for thirty eight hours and you still have to check in at the station before you can go. We've got the Joker - you should also get some rest. I'll take him home."

Rebecca hesitated; but Wuertz was right. She was exhausted, and she was worried about Bruce.

"Thanks, Wuertz." She agreed at last, and he patted her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Serge."

Rebecca waved at Harvey as Wuertz climbed in, and he smiled and waved back. She watched the car drive off before she turned to Ramirez who offered, "I can drive us to the station?"

"What is with you people today?" Rebecca asked and Ramirez asked wryly, "You haven't looked in the mirror yet, have you, Dawes?"

"No…?" Rebecca answered slowly and Ramirez explained, "You look a wreck, Dawes. You've been working nonstop since we thought Gordon was killed. Now that you can afford a break, you should take it."

"Breaks? What are those?" Rebecca joked and Ramirez's lips twitched with amusement.

"Come on, Sergeant." She said. "Time to go celebrate."

* * *

At the station, Rebecca hugged Gordon as soon as she entered his office.

"Good to have you back, Jim." She said as she let him go

He smiled back at her as he replied, "Good to be back, Becky."

His eyes then steeled and he asked, "Ready to go check out what we're dealing with?"

"Nope." Rebecca answered with a grin. "Let's go."

"Atta girl."

The two strode out of his office and down into the holding area. Rebecca could hear clamouring and the distinct sound of banging metal and she groaned.

"Great." She muttered at the same time Gordon's jaw tightened.

The two burst into the area as Gordon yelled at his men, "Stand away! All of you."

The officers stepped immediately away from the bars where they'd been banging their clubs at the Joker's cage while Gordon shouted severely, "I don't want anything for his mob lawyer to use, understand?"

Stephens coughed, and Gordon looked over to see the Mayor himself walking into the holding area. The Mayor smiled while Gordon nodded in greeting, before the former reached out his hand.

Gordon shook the offered hand while the Mayor said casually, "Back from the dead."

Gordon shrugged sheepishly and as the Mayor continued to look at him questioningly he explained, "I couldn't chance my family's safety.'

The Mayor nodded in understanding before he returned briskly to business. Looking over at the Joker in his cage, he questioned, "What do we got?"

Gordon sighed before he replied with the results of all of his men's - including Rebecca's - reports.

"Nothing . No matches on prints, DNA, dental. Clothing iB custom, no labels. Nothing in his pockets but knives and lint. No name, no other alias... nothing."

"Go home, Gordon." The Mayor advised. "The clown'll keep till morning. Get some rest- you're going to need it."

Gordon looked at the Mayor with a puzzled look as the Mayor continued mysteriously, "Tomorrow, you take the big job."

The Mayor looked at Gordon, who continued to look confused, and his smile widened.

"You don't have any say in the matter, " the Mayor ordered before finishing in a loud voice. "Commissioner Gordon!"

Rebecca's eyes widened as did Gordon's at this sudden announcement. Rebecca's face then broke into a smile and she and Stephens led the cheer as the other officers clapped and hooted for their new Commissioner.

Gordon himself looked slightly stunned by the news, but he eventually recovered a little and he nodded thanks to the Mayor before turning and shaking hands with Stephens, Rebecca, Ramirez, and the rest of his team. They all shook his hand back in congratulations before continuing their cheers… only for it to all die down when they became aware of the loudest claps coming from the back of the room.

Gordon and Rebecca slowly looked over to see the Joker clapping his hands before him, and a smirk pulled up the corners of his scarred and terrifying mouth.

* * *

The Joker's smile stayed in Rebecca's mind as she drove toward Bruce's penthouse.

It had been chilling, and she had already been feeling extremely unsettled that the Joker had seemed completely unfazed at the fact that he had been caught. He hadn't cared when they'd arrested him, in fact he'd barely even seemed to notice the handcuffs Rebecca clapped on him. Instead, his eyes had remained fixed on the Batman as the vigilante took off into the night as soon as the police had the Joker and his men secured.

His shouts toward the Batman also rang in her mind continuously, and Rebecca couldn't shake the disappointed look that had clouded the Joker's face when Bruce had refused to run him over from her mind. Despite the fact that they'd finally nabbed the guy, and now that the joy of seeing Gordon again and hearing about his well-deserved promotion had passed, she still felt uneasy.

' _It's in your head._ ' Rebecca scolded herself. ' _And you're just worried about Bruce. Everything will be fine once you see he's okay. You'll see._ '

She pulled into the garage of the apartment complex Bruce lived in, and she quickly locked up her car before heading to the elevator.

As she pressed the button, she rummaged with her other hand for her phone and she checked it while she waited for the elevator to arrive. A frown pulled her brows together momentarily when she saw no missed calls or messages from Rachel, and Rebecca pondered it as the elevator door dinged and opened.

She walked in absently, keying in before pressing the button for the penthouse as she stared down at her phone and and hesitated. She wanted to call Rachel, not the least because Rachel had asked her to call her, but what if she was with Harvey now? It _was_ the first night the pair had had together since their engagement if Harvey was telling the truth, and they would likely be celebrating. Especially after Harvey delivered the good news that the Joker was finally captured.

Not wanting to bother them if they were having a private celebration, Rebecca sent a text to Rachel and closed her phone just as the elevator doors opened.

Bruce was waiting for her and he crossed the threshold immediately once he saw it was her. Rebecca stepped out of the elevator to meet him, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders at the same moment he wrapped his own around her waist and kissed her.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Rebecca breathed when they finally parted, and Bruce shook his head.

"What about you?" Bruce asked, and Rebecca smiled and shook her head.

"Not a scratch - thanks to you."

Bruce's face relaxed in relief and he leant in to kiss her again, making Rebecca sigh in contentment.

"You should get some sleep." Bruce murmured when they broke for air once more. "You look like you could really use it."

"But I don't want to sleep anymore." Rebecca answered as she kissed Bruce's lips lightly - teasingly. "I want to spend time with my boyfriend."

Rebecca savoured the smile that lit up Bruce's face at her words; but as they leant in toward each other again, Rebecca's phone rang.

"Hang on, let me check who it is." Rebecca murmured as she glanced at her screen. She stilled.

Bruce tensed instantly, picking up on her unease, and he asked, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know yet."

Rebecca opened her phone, pressing it to her ear.

"Dawes."

"I need you back at the station." Gordon barked. "Now!"

"Jim?" Rebecca asked tersely, but he was swearing while he honked as he drove somewhere. "Gordon?"

"I said, _now_ , Sergeant!"

Gordon sounded furious, and Rebecca's eyes narrowed.

"Gordon, what's going on?"

Bruce was watching her worriedly, but Rebecca focused on Gordon as the officer breathed deeply. She waited patiently, wondering what had rattled her superior so. And then his next words, said in a dark and low voice, sent chilling fear down Rebecca's spine.

"Harvey Dent never made it home. Wuertz was found tied and gagged in the car."

* * *

Rebecca burst into the MCU, pushing her way through the swarm of detectives that were crowded in the observation room while inside the interrogation room, the Joker sat calmly at the table.

"Has he said anything yet?" She asked, and Ramirez shook her head. "And my sister?"

"We've sent a car to her." Ramirez reported. "She sounded fine when we called, just shaken at the news."

Rebecca nodded tersely before turning to look as the door to the interrogation room opened and Gordon walked in.

The room became hushed as they watched the Joker looked up from where he sat in basically darkness aside from the small desk light atop the interrogation table.

"Evening, _Commissioner_." The Joker greeted, purring on Gordon's new title in mocking.

Gordon settled into the seat across from the Joker before he got straight to the point.

"Harvey Dent never made it home."

"Of course not." The Joker replied in a calm, quiet voice that Gordon matched as he asked, "What have you done with him?"

"Me?" The Joker asked, going for the genuinely surprised look as he widened his eyes.

But his wide-eyes just looked fake, almost cartoonish, as he looked around the room while he answered innocently, "I was right here."

He held up his handcuffed hands to add extra emphasis to his point before he frowned as though in confused thought as he asked, "Who did _you_ leave him with? Your people?"

Rebecca's hands tightened into fists as the Joker leaned slightly back before he added almost as though in afterthought, "Assuming, of course, that they are still your people and not Maroni's . . ."

He trailed off meaningfully before tilting his head as he looked at Gordon.

"Does it depress you, Commissioner?" The Joker queried. "To know just how alone you really are? You..."

The Joker turned his head to look right at the two-way mirror, and Rebecca's fists clenched even tighter as the Joker appeared to stare right at her.

"And your precious Sergeant?"

Gordon's jaw tightened just slightly while the Joker looked back at Gordon.

"Does it make you feel responsible for Harvey Dent's current predicament?" The Joker asked, and Rebecca's jaw clenched too as she felt the seeds of doubt being planted in her mind despite herself.

Gordon appeared to be fighting against the same thing as he swallowed, but his voice was carefully neutral as he asked, "Where is he?"

"What time is it?" The Joker asked suddenly, and Gordon asked, "What difference does that make?"

"Well." The Joker shrugged. "Depending on the time, he might be in one spot."

He gestured with his bound hands.

"Or several."

The Joker smiled slightly as he leant forward, giving Gordon a meaningful look.

Gordon's answer was to reach into his pocket from which he produced a key. The Joker didn't even pay it any attention, instead focused fully on Gordon as the newly-appointed Commissioner said in a calm, low voice, "If we're going to play games…"

The Joker raised a brow as Gordon reached over and placed the key into the Joker's handcuffs. With two quick easy movements, he undid the Joker's restraints and the Joker watched curiously as Gordon took the handcuffs, saying nonchalantly, "I'm going to need a cup of coffee."

"Ah..." The Joker mused as he watched Gordon turn and walk away. "The good cop, bad cop routine?"

Gordon stopped at the door, hand on the handle as he looked back at the Joker.

"Not exactly." He replied.

With that, the lock buzzed and Gordon pulled the interrogation room door open. He stepped out without a backward glance and the Joker straightened up just a little as he waited for what would come next.

The door clicked shut, and immediately the overhead lights to the room switched on. The Joker squinted at the sudden brightness, but it wouldn't have made any difference - he never would have seen the blow coming anyway as the Batman slammed the Joker's head face-first into the table from behind.


	26. Toil and Trouble

The Joker grunted and groaned, lifting a hand to his forehead to nurse the pain while he gazed up at where the Batman had walked around to face him across the interrogation table.

Rebecca waited tensely, glancing away briefly as the door to the observation room opened and Gordon walked in, before she looked back into the interrogation room as the Joker spoke.

"Never start with the head." The Joker complained to the Batman.

Rebecca's brows furrowed while the Joker continued.

"The victim gets all... _fuzzy_. He can't feel the next-"

The Batman's fist shot out, smashing down on the Joker's fingers and probably breaking one. The Joker stopped talking for a moment, his brows wriggling slightly as though in mild discomfort, before he looked back at the Batman.

"See?" He said calmly.

Rebecca stared at the madman while the Batman settled into the seat across from the Joker.

"You wanted me." He rasped out, his dark eyes boring into the Joker's as the pair examined each other intently. "Here I am."

The Joker turned as serious as the Batman, his own dark eyes staring right back at the Batman's as he replied, "I wanted to see what you'd do. And you didn't disappoint."

The Joker leant in, gaze boring into the Batman's as he said in a low voice, "You let five people die."

The Joker smacked his lips, an odd habit he seemed to have along with licking his lips constantly, before he continued with a wry look, " _Then_ you let Dent take your place. Even to a guy like me, that's _cold_."

"Where's Dent?" The Batman asked brusquely, ignoring the Joker's pricks at his conscience.

But the Joker wasn't finished, and he in turn ignored the Batman as he went on, "Those mob fools want you gone so they can get back to the way things were."

The Joker brought his hands together on the table before him and his voice went even lower as he said, "But I know the truth: there's no going back. You've changed things. Forever."

"Then why do you want to kill me?" The Batman prompted.

But question apparently cracked the Joker up as he burst out laughing. Rebecca tensed and she could sense Bruce's confusion too as they watched the Joker laugh so hard he started to gasp for air.

"I don't want to kill you." The Joker exclaimed, still laughing as he looked at the Batman with amusement. "What would I do without you?"

He leant back, still smiling a little as he asked rhetorically, "Go back to ripping off Mob dealers? No."

The Joker rolled his eyes, apparently so revolted by the very idea that he didn't want to think on it if he could.

"No. No, you…"

He looked right back at the Batman.

" _You_ complete me."

"You're garbage who kills for money." The Batman shot back in a low hiss, but the Joker protested, "Don't talk like one of them."

He gestured toward the two-way mirror, toward the officers watching the pair's exchange.

"You're _not_." The Joker's eyes narrowed shrewdly. "Even if you'd like to be."

Rebecca tensed and she sucked in a breath as the Joker leant back, his mouth twisting like he had a bad taste in his mouth as he continued.

"To them you're just a _freak_. Like me."

The Joker leant forward on his hands again as he regarded the Batman with something that was fast approaching pity.

"They need you right _now_."

The Joker tilted his head.

"But when they don't... they'll cast you. Out like a leper."

The Batman leant back just slightly, watching the Joker with unreadable eyes. The Joker continued to search the Batman's face despite the mask as he continued poking at the Batman's mental armour.

"Their morals, their _code_." He said the word like it left a bad taste in his mouth, his expression twisting with disgust from just saying it.

"It's a bad joke. Dropped," his hand mimicked the movement, "at the first sign of trouble."

The Joker jerked his head toward the two-way mirror again before he went on with a scoff, "They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you."

The Joker leant forward as he said almost conspiratorially, "When the chips are down, these, uh…" He smacked his lips. "These ' _civilized'_ people. They'll eat each other."

The Joker grinned and he leant back as he went on, "See, I'm not a monster."

He looked the Batman up and down before he leant in slight again.

"I'm just ahead of the curve."

The Batman finally had enough and he shot up, grabbing the Joker by his lapels and pulling the insane man bodily across the table so that they were face to face.

Inside the observation room, the air changed and everyone tensed.

In the interrogation room, the Batman hissed threateningly, "Where's Dent?"

"You have all these rules." The Joker complained, before he eyed the Batman shrewdly. "And you think they'll save you."

The Batman shoved him bodily against the wall between the two glass windows in the room with a resounding bang. Several detectives started, and one of them started for the door.

"Wait." Rebecca called, and the man hesitated.

Gordon agreed with her, and he told the other detective, "He's in control."

The man turned reluctantly back to scene in the interrogation room as the Batman growled at the Joker, "I have one rule."

"Oh." The Joker choked out from the Batman's tight grip across his throat. "Then that's the one you'll have to break to know the truth."

"Which is?" The Batman demanded, and the Joker smiled. Before he rambled once more.

"The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules. Tonight," the Joker's tone darkened as he stared Batman down.

"You're going to break your one rule…"

"I'm considering it." The Batman replied bluntly, unmoving to the Joker's taunt.

But the Joker had another hidden card up his sleeve, and he let it peak out as he insisted, "There are only minutes left, so, you'll have to play my little game if you want to save," his tone darkened with relish," _one_ of them."

In the observation room, all the detectives straightened up even more, raised on alert at the Joker's reveal.

Rebecca's fingers dug into her palm she was so tense and she watched in apprehension as the Batman repeated slowly, "Them?"

Bruce's mind whirred. Who did the Joker mean? Rebecca was safe, she had to be - there was no way Gordon had left so calmly if Rebecca wasn't in the observation room. And no way Gordon hadn't come storming back in if Rebecca had disappeared. No, no, she was safe, he was sure of it. So who-?

"You know, for a while there," the Joker mused and Bruce's attention returned fully to the man he held by the throat. "I thought you really _were_ Dent. The way you chased down every criminal in the city after you found out she was the next target-

The realization hit him hard and Bruce threw the Joker bodily over onto the interrogation table, slamming the man on his back onto the metal in his anger.

Inside the observation room, the understanding came slower as the detectives tried to piece together the Joker's words. Only for Rebecca was it immediately clear who the Joker was talking about - but her brain refused to fully process the terrible truth as she stared blankly at the Joker.

"Rachel."

Rebecca didn't realize she'd spoken numbly as the cold, horrifying truth sunk into her mind slowly. Gordon snapped his attention to Rebecca and his eyes widened in alarm as he understood what Rebecca was saying.

"He's got Rachel. Oh my God, he's got Rachel!"

A sudden bang from inside the interrogation room made Gordon jerk. He turned back to the two-way mirror to see with no small amount of shock that Batman had smashed the Joker right into the mirror, causing the glass to splinter out from the impact.

The mad clown himself however didn't seem to mind, despite the fact that his blood ran down from his broken nose and spilled from his split lip. Instead, the Joker just laughed harder than ever even as he collapsed on the ground before the two-way mirror.

"Look at you go." The Joker chuckled darkly, gazing up at the Batman with shrewd eyes.

"You know, I couldn't really decide which to pick first. After that party, I knew either sister worked. But then, I realized if I pick the older one, I would have a fair shot at figuring out if you were Dent or not. Didn't quite work the way I thought but hehehe-"

The Joker broke off as the Batman grabbed him up and smashed him into the two-way mirror once more. Rebecca clutched the table in front of her, needing the support.

"Oh my God, oh my God." She whimpered, and Gordon held her shoulder.

"Hang in there, Becky, don't let him get to you." Gordon said, and Rebecca cried shrilly, "He's got Rachel!"

Inside the interrogation room, the Joker slid down to the ground again, laughing like a maniac even as the Batman loomed over him like an avenging angel.

"Where are they?!" He roared, but the Joker just laughed in the Batman's face.

"Killing is making a choice." The Joker cackled, and the Batman punched him hard across the face.

It shut the madman up for a second as his head snapped to the side and he fell over, and the Batman repeated in a furious roar, "WHERE ARE THEY?!"

Gordon ran out of the observation room in alarm, heading for the interrogation room. The Batman's violent reaction had taken them all by surprise but there was no way Gordon could let the Batman continue to attack their criminal, no matter how much he might deserve it. But upon reaching the door to the interrogation room, Gordon found it locked somehow. He banged on it, hoping to force it open, but it was well and truly jammed. Leaving the two occupants trapped within.

Meanwhile, inside the Batman suit, Bruce's heart hammered. Not Rachel. Not Rachel. He knew what it would do to Rebecca if her sister were brought to any harm. And if she were dead… No, he couldn't think like that. He'd save her. He'd save her and Dent. He had to.

The desperation clouded his mind, but then the Joker's laughter filled the room once more. It was obvious the Joker enjoyed the Batman's anger and fear, almost feeding off of it as he gazed up at the twisted growl that graced the only visible feature of the Batman's face.

"You choose one life over the other." The Joker told the Batman with far too much glee for a man who was being beaten into a bruised and bloody pulp. "Your friend, the district attorney. Or his blushing bride-to-be."

The Batman breathed heavily and the Joker eyed the Batman closer before he commented in a low voice, his tone almost offhanded, "You know, you never _could_ have been Dent. I see that now. It's the sister for you, isn't it?"

Bruce's fist surged back and he smashed it into the Joker's face again with all his strength. But even that did nothing to faze the insane criminal; in fact, the Joker only seemed to get happier and crazier with each hit.

"You have _nothing_." The Joker informed the Batman, his eyes laughing and burning with murderous triumph as he gazed up at the masked vigilante despite his increasingly bloodied mouth and nose.

"Nothing to threaten me with. Nothing to do with all your strength."

The Joker spat out a broken tooth, and the Batman grabbed the Joker's lapels once more while on the other side of the mirror Rebecca clutched the table so tightly her knuckle split and a tiny sliver of blood trickled down her hand.

Inside the interrogation room, the Joker fixed his gaze on the Batman as he revealed his next card to them all.

"Don't worry, I'm going to tell you where they are. Both of them, and that's the point: you'll have to choose."

The Batman stared down at the Joker, his mask doing nothing to hide his rage as he continued to breathe heavily through clenched teeth.

But the Joker could see inside the eyes of the man behind the mask, and he could also see the burning desperation and the fear for a loved one - whether it was for the woman currently tied up in a warehouse somewhere only the Joker knew where, or for the sister who was probably watching him right now with equal desperation and panic, some probably couldn't tell. But the Joker's smirk widened for he knew the answer.

"He's at…" His eye squinted as though he were trying to remember where Harvey and Rachel would be at this moment. "250 52nd Boulevard. And _she's_ on... avenue X at Cicero."

The Batman dropped him instantly, turning away without a second's pause.

The Batman tore away the steel chair he'd used to jam the door before he threw the door open. Gordon almost stumbled inside when the door opened, but he saved himself just as the Batman stalked determinedly down the hallway.

"Which one are you going after?" He called after the masked vigilante, and the Batman answered without missing a beat.

"Dent knew the risks."

The Batman shoved open the back doors of the police station, not even surprised by the sight of the redhead already seated on his Batpod. Rebecca was pale and trembling as Bruce settled into place in front of her.

"Can we make it?" Rebecca asked in little more than a whimper and Bruce's hands tightened on the handles of the bike.

"Yes."

With that, he took them off, driving speedily down the streets without any regard for traffic laws - one of the reasons Rebecca had probably waited to let him drive. The other was that he was a better and faster driver, something he applied fully now as he drove them at breakneck speed to the warehouse the Joker had revealed.

' _Oh God. Oh God._ ' Rebecca thought wildly. ' _Please let us be there in time. Please let us be there in time._ '

Her arms tightened around Bruce as the fear continued to grip her stronger. He felt the movement, knew the cause for it, and his jaw tightened beneath his mask even as his eyes were wild with desperation.

' _Please, let me be able to save her._ ' He prayed. ' _Don't let Rebecca lose her sister the way I lost my parents._ '

They finally screeched to a halt in front of the abandoned warehouse and Bruce leapt off the Batpod.

"Stay back!" Bruce ordered as he rushed inside. "Do NOT follow me!"

Rebecca dithered anxiously, and she came close to disobeying Bruce - very close.

But perhaps because of the realization of just how precarious their position was, or perhaps because of her own anxiety, or maybe even because of the absolute fear that coursed its way through her body, but Rebecca waited.

Her blood was thundering in her veins and she could feel each thud of her heart as if it were pounding against her temples - but Rebecca absolutely started when she heard a faint, agonized cry coming from inside the warehouse.

"No! No!"

Rebecca's legs buckled out from underneath her, and she collapsed down on her knees as her body reacted before her mind could even process what she was hearing - who she was hearing.

"No, why did you come for me?! No, Rachel! Rachel!"

Rebecca listened numbly as Harvey Dent's voice got louder and louder, but not because the man was getting more and more hysterical. It was too painfully obvious that Harvey had already been screaming at the top of his lungs before Rebecca could even hear him.

Yet, all of this information barely registered in Rebecca's mind as she struggled to process the reality of her situation.

It took the sight of Bruce, still fully in Batman mode, dragging - no, _hauling_ \- Harvey out of the warehouse for the truth to really sink in for Rebecca.

"No."

Bruce looked up, the grim determination to save at least Harvey and the Batman mask unable to hide the pain in his expression as he conveyed to Rebecca the confirmation of her worst fears over Harvey's continuous wails.

"No!"

Rebecca fell over, grasping the Batpod in an attempt to steady herself but there was no bracing herself.

Before anything else could happen - whether Harvey continued to cry, or Rebecca could work through her emotions, or Bruce could try to reason with the grieving man or the stricken woman - the entire warehouse exploded up in a ball of flames.

Exactly the way they knew a similar warehouse on the complete other side of the city would have gone up at the exact same moment. And Rebecca knew in her hearts of hearts that Rachel would have still been inside. Bruce had barely dragged Harvey out in time and they'd had a head start and the advantage of speed over Gordon and his men.

He wouldn't have made it in time.

Harvey was screaming - and a small part of Rebecca noted that Bruce seemed to be hastily patting the man down as if he'd caught on fire somehow - but Rebecca barely heard him. There was a piercing keen, shrill and ear-splitting that was blocking out most of Harvey's pained cries. And it took Rebecca a moment to realize the one making the noise… was her.

"NOOO!"

In movies or books, the characters often slipped into unconsciousness when the mind could no longer keep up. But that luxury never came for Rebecca, who collapsed back on her knees as she continued to scream for her sister. Screams that were in vain - Rachel was far beyond a place where she could hear her anymore. She would never be able to hear her again.


	27. Heartbreak

Rebecca didn't know how the rest of the night passed.

She was vaguely aware of the ambulance at came to pick Harvey up. She somewhat felt it when Bruce left her as soon as help came, his heavy gloved hand soon replaced by a thick orange blanket before she was ushered into the ambulance for shock. She almost noticed when Gordon came running to see her at the hospital, but his words and his apology as he revealed the Joker had broken out and taken Lau with him fell on deaf ears. Rebecca didn't care if the Joker was out or what happened to Lau. What did any of it matter?

Rachel was dead.

Eventually, she was assigned to go home. She faintly registered Gordon sending her off with a worried glance and advice to rest and recover. Recover from what, a small part of her brain wondered? You recovered from illness. People recovered after a natural disaster tore their home down. Her world had just been blown apart by a madman in clown makeup who was _still alive_.

Rachel was dead.

Rebecca didn't see Alfred's concerned gaze on her the entire time he drove her back to the penthouse. She didn't notice when he patted her while he gently led her into the house. She didn't realize she'd sunk into the living room sofa until she was curled up against it while Alfred excused himself politely. She registered when the sky began to lighten because the pink dawn reminded her of Rachel's favourite colour as a child.

Rachel was dead.

A soft sound alerted her to the fact that she wasn't alone and Rebecca looked up to see Bruce watching her sadly from the far end of the sofa.

"Hey, Becky." Bruce murmured, his voice hoarse like he was holding back tears.

Rebecca stared at him for a long moment, and Bruce's heart sank.

The whole night, he'd been afraid Rebecca would blame him for what had happened. Aside from his own pain at Rachel's passing, that selfish but real fear had haunted him as he'd stayed beside Rebecca while she was shell-shocked after she finally stopped her terrible screams for her sister; as he'd searched through the ruined warehouse where Rachel had died in the vain hope that he'd find something other than more proof of her death. Even as he'd visited Harvey to pass on the charred double-headed coin that had been Rachel's memento of him.

Now, he feared, it was time for her to unleash her anger, her pain, her blame - all justly - at him.

But Bruce was surprised when Rebecca whispered, "Hold me?"

His heart tugged and Bruce crossed the gap in an instant. Pulling Rebecca into his strong but helpless arms, he held her close as she buried her face into his shoulder where she shuddered.

"I'm so sorry, Becky." Bruce whispered hoarsely, and Rebecca's hands tightened on the back of his shirt.

"She never texted me." Rebecca mumbled numbly. "She never texted me that night – _how_ did I miss the fact that she didn't text me to let me know she had gotten home safely? That she never replied to my text? If I had just thought about it, I-"

"Sh, Becky, it's not your fault." Bruce soothed, a new pain shooting through him.

He didn't want her to blame herself - if anything, he was to blame.

But the floodgates had been opened and Rebecca clutched him tightly as she choked out, "I never even told her the truth, Bruce. She always shared about her and Harvey, she was going to get _married_ , and I never told her about us, I kept so many things from her, and now..."

"Becky, stop. Don't do this to yourself." Bruce pleaded, trying to force Rebecca's face up so he could look at her. "Please, Becky. Rachel knew."

Rebecca looked up then, staring at Bruce with haunted blue eyes.

"What?" Rebecca asked, and Bruce revealed in a low voice, "She confronted me about it the night before… she wanted me to rethink turning myself in because she was worried it would hurt you."

Rebecca stared at Bruce.

"She knew… everything?" Rebecca asked faintly, and Bruce nodded.

"Why didn't she come to me…?" Rebecca asked, her voice cracking, and Bruce hugged her tightly.

"I think she wanted to be sure of my intentions first." He answered softly. "I told her the truth, and she accepted it. I think she intended to speak with you later."

"She wanted me to call her." Rebecca mumbled before her voice shook again. "She specifically asked, and I didn't. I didn't want to interrupt her and Harvey, but if I'd just _called-_ "

"It may not have changed anything." Bruce replied quietly. "They found a machine with recordings of Rachel's voice on it. That's what Ramirez heard when she checked in with Rachel after Harvey was captured."

"But it wouldn't have fooled me." Rebecca insisted. "And we would have figured it out faster, we could have done more to save her. We could have-!"

"I know, Becky." Bruce soothed, shushing Rebecca as her voice turned hysterical. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"I want her back, Bruce." Rebecca whimpered, curling up against Bruce. "It hurts so much to have her gone. I… I..."

"I know." Bruce repeated, holding her close. "I'm sorry. I know."

Rebecca shuddered before she leaned back and gazed up at Bruce. He met her gaze, his dark eyes filled with sorrow and sympathy and an ache to somehow help her. To make things right.

Rebecca stared up at him with hollow eyes, before her gaze dropped. And Bruce tensed as Rebecca leaned in toward him.

"Becky?"

She ignored him as she pressed her lips against his. Softly at first, but then insistently.

"Becky." Bruce mumbled around her lips, but Rebecca pressed against him. Her hands dragged along his back after worming their way under his shirt, and Bruce tensed further when she tugged on his shirt.

"Becky, stop."

Rebecca ignored him as she pulled him in for a deeper kiss. He answered it automatically before his mind kicked in again when she tugged on his pants.

"No, Becky."

Bruce's voice was firm as he broke away from her, his hands holding hers tightly and bringing them safely back into her lap.

"No. You're in grief."

"So help me." Rebecca pleaded, looking up at him with desperate blue eyes. "Help me forget this pain. _Please_ , Bruce."

His heart ached at the way her voice caught, at the open wound she carried in her heart, but he knew he had to be firm. This wasn't right.

"Becky, I want to help you." He began, and she blurted out, "I want you. I want you, Bruce. I love you."

"Becky..." Bruce sighed.

Rebecca tried to kiss him, thinking he was giving in, but Bruce placed his forehead against hers as he held her back gently.

"Becky, I love you and I want you too. I've always wanted you." Bruce said seriously, gazing into the eyes of the woman he loved so much. "But not like this. I don't want this to be how you remember our first time."

Rebecca's eyes started to fill with tears and Bruce kissed her softly on the forehead.

"I love you too much to let this happen. You're in pain, and this won't help."

"It will." Rebecca pleaded feverishly but Bruce said gently, "You know it won't. Think, for a moment, Bec. Think it over and tell me you don't feel hurt when you kiss me."

Rebecca's lip wobbled and she bit down on it as tears sprung to her eyes.

"I just… I..." She sobbed and Bruce gathered her in his arms.

"I know." He answered.

Rebecca sobbed, the tears from the heartbreak of her sister's death finally falling and Bruce held her close as she cried into his chest.

"She's gone." Rebecca wept. "She's gone, Bruce. Rachel's gone."

"I know." Bruce replied heavily. "I'm sorry. I know. I'm sorry."

Rebecca wailed as she buried herself into his chest. Bruce just held her, offering her silent comfort as she cried her heart out for the sister she would never see again.

* * *

Eventually, Rebecca cried herself out, and Bruce kissed her temple.

"Sleep, Becky." He advised. "You need to rest. Go to sleep."

Rebecca hiccuped from where she had her face against his soaking shirt. He shifted her so she was against his dry shoulder, and Rebecca sniffled.

"Thank you, Bruce." She murmured quietly. "For everything."

"Don't thank me." Bruce answered, his heart tugging with guilt and aching with her pain. "I don't deserve it."

"You do." Rebecca whispered as her eyes fluttered closed. "You really do… and I love you… so much..."

She trailed off, and moments later Bruce could feel the tell-tale heavy breaths that said Rebecca had finally managed to fall asleep.

He waited for another few minutes to make sure she truly fell into a deep sleep before he shifted, moving her to be in his arms. Carefully, he lifted her off the sofa and carried her to his room where he tucked her into his larger and likely more comfortable bed.

He paused to gaze down at her tear-stained face, her pale skin making the dark circles under her eyes all the more prominent. He lifted a hand to move one lock of red hair away from her face and Rebecca shifted in her sleep. He stilled, and she sighed though her brows continued to furrow as she slept fitfully.

He edged away quietly, closing the door softly behind him before he leant heavily against the wall.

"She's not the only one who needs sleep, Master Wayne."

Bruce looked up at Alred's soft reproach, and Alfred gazed sympathetically back at his lost young master.

"Rachel died because of me, Alfred." Bruce said hoarsely and Alfred raised a brow.

"Is that what Miss Rebecca said?" He inquired and Bruce shook his head.

"No. But it doesn't make it less true." Bruce said despairingly. "I incited the Joker, I inspired this, this _madness_."

"You have inspired good." Alfred replied gravely. "But you spat in the face of Gotham's criminals- didn't you think there might be casualties?"

Bruce bowed his head while Alfred continued, "Things were always going to have to get worse before they got better."

"But it cost _Rachel_." Bruce said in despair. "She died for no reason."

"I think Miss Rachel would be insulted to be thought of that way." Alfred observed and Bruce shot the butler a look.

"I'm being serious here." Bruce said, but Alfred countered, "As am I, Master Wayne."

The elderly gentleman peered at his young master and questioned, "If you were to be killed whilst battling criminals like Dr. Crane or Mr. Maroni, would you blame Miss Rachel or Miss Rebecca?"

"Of course not." Bruce sighed, and Alfred queried, "So why must you be blamed?"

"Because I was supposed to protect _them_." Bruce replied, knocking his head back on the wall. "I swore I would and now Rachel's dead. And it could easily have been Rebecca."

"Batman cannot be sworn to protect select people." Alfred reminded with a warning tone. "We have discussed this in the past, Master Wayne."

"What good am I, if I can't even protect the people I care about." Bruce shot back.

"A hero." Alfred replied gravely. "Someone who places the needs of the great above his own desires."

"I'm no hero." Bruce answered darkly, and Alfred raised a brow.

"Would you say Commissioner Gordon is a hero?" He questioned and Bruce nodded.

"Yes."

"Is Miss Rebecca?" Alfred asked, and Bruce rubbed his face.

"Of course she is." He answered, and Alfred pressed, "And Miss Rachel."

"What's your point, Alfred?" Bruce asked, tired of Alfred's questions.

"My point, Master Wayne, is that there are other people who in their ordinary jobs fight crime, put the people's needs first, and make sacrifices to keep ordinary people safe." Alfred replied.

"Perhaps they don't want to risk their lives, but they will if they must. Miss Rachel, bless her soul, was such a woman. She knew what it could cost her to chase down Falcone, Dr. Crane, the other mob leaders, and this man who calls himself the Joker. Yet she did so regardless because she believed that it was worth that sacrifice."

Bruce remained silent while Alfred peered at him.

"As does Miss Rebecca."

Bruce turned his head away, and Alfred patted his shoulder.

"I am not saying you shouldn't grieve, Master Wayne." The elderly butler said kindly but firmly. "Or that Miss Rebecca shouldn't mourn her sister's death. But do not let it paralyze you."

He withdrew his hand as he finished, "Gotham needs you."

"Gotham needs its hero." Bruce muttered. "And I let the Joker blow him half to hell-"

"Which is why for now, they'll have to make do with you." Alfred answered.

Alfred handed him the Batman cowl and Bruce stared at it for a long time before looking back at his oldest friend and ally.

"That bandit." Bruce began and Alfred tensed just slightly. "In the forest in Burma... Did you catch him?"

Alfred's eyes were sad but he nodded.

"How?" Bruce pressed and Alfred seemed to search his young master's eyes.

"We burned the forest down." Alfred finally answered quietly, his tone uneasy.

Bruce nodded and he looked down at the cowl in his hand before his fingers curled and he fisted the fabric.


End file.
